


She's My...

by ThanagarianAmazon



Series: DragonSwanQueen [8]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmare, Polyamory, Threesome - F/F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-07-29 19:40:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20087689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThanagarianAmazon/pseuds/ThanagarianAmazon
Summary: Emma finds out something new about Lily. Something that not even Lily or her mother is aware of. How will her lovers handle this discovery? Meanwhile, Lily has some news of her own to share with her family. She's just not sure how they'll react.





	1. Chapter 1

Mal appeared in the waiting room of Storybrooke hospital in a puff of dark smoke. She looked around frantically, her heart beating faster since she got the call from Regina. Once her eyes landed on her lovers she ran to them.

"Where is she?! What happened?!"

"Mal, you need to calm down first," Emma reached out to put her hand on the dragon's shoulder only to have the other blonde jerk away.

"I will not calm down until someone tells me what the hell is going on here! Where is my daughter?!"

"She's in surgery," Regina spoke calmly. "They'll let you see her as soon as they're done. Your panicking isn't going to speed it along, my cariño."

Maleficent covered her face with her hands briefly before taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you Kitten. I'm just..." she trailed off shaking her head at the worrying thoughts in her mind.

"It's okay Beautiful." Emma was relieved when Mal allowed her to wrap her arms around her, "We're all worried." She tried to stop her voice from cracking at the thought of her friend under the knife.

Regina wrapped her arms around them both and kissed Mal's head before the dragon pulled back.

"What happened?" Mal asked much more softly than she had before.

"I had just picked up Regina from work and we were heading home when we looked down the road and saw Lily's car lying on the side of it near the town line."

"We got to her as soon as we could, but we couldn't get her to respond to us," the brunette bit her lip before she said, "It looked like she lost a lot of blood. We brought her here immediately."

"How long has she been back there?" Mal's eyes were sparkling with unshed tears as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"Not long," Emma put her fists on her hips. "We called you as soon as they took her back."

The dragon nodded as her eyes moved to the door to the corridor where the surgical room was. "I want to be with her."

"We know you do my cariño, but the only thing any of us can do is wait."

Mal felt her lovers gently uncross her arms and lead her over to the seating area, yet her eyes never left that door.

"It will all be okay," Regina said softly as her hand gripped Mal's.

"Lily's strong. Just like her mom," Emma said with a slight smile which turned back into a frown when she did not get a reaction from the other blonde.

They sat in silence, with Emma and Regina rubbing Mal's arms in comfort, yet Mal's blue eyes barely blinked as she continued to stare at the door.

It was not long before Whale walked through the swinging doors. He was still wearing his scrubs that had sweat stains on the front.

While it had felt like an eternity to her, Mal knew it was much too soon for the surgery to be done. She jumped to her feet immediately and quickly met him across the room.

"Where's Lily?! Where's my daughter?!" Her voice was back to being as frantic as it was when she first arrived.

Whale took a deep breath and shook his head slightly, "I'm sorry Maleficent. She crashed just a few minutes ago. We tried, but...we couldn't revive her."

Mal's eyes went wide as her head slowly shook in denial, "No...no, no. She can't be... she can't..."

She felt two soft hands land on her shoulders as her lovers approached. They were about to wrap their arms around her again, but Mal jerked away from their grips.

She swiftly pushed passed Whale and ran through the doors, ignoring the three separate calls for her to stop.

It did not take her long to find the operating room. Looking through the window of the door she saw a body under a white sheet.

"Mal!" Regina and Emma both shout as they run after her. Yet, she ignored them again as she barged into the room.

As she lifted the sheet down she was met with the lifeless face of her daughter.

"Lily...no, no, no, no," Without thinking Mal placed her hands on her daughter trying to shake her awake. It wasn't until she felt herself being pulled back that she noticed her daughter's blood covering her hands

"NOOOO!" she screamed as she fell to her knees in emotional pain.

DSQDSQDSQDSQDSQ

"NOOOO!" Mal screeched as she jerked awake and sat up in bed, a thin layer of cold sweat coated her skin. She quickly looked down at her hands for blood. Even through the darkness, she could see they were clean, yet that did very little to alleviate her panic.

Emma and Regina immediately awoke to their lover's reaction. The brunette quickly turned on the bedside lamp so they could see what was wrong. The sight and sound of Mal shaking and panting was worrying, to say the least.

"My cariño? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Regina and Emma both placed their arms across the dragon's back and placed their other hand on her thighs, trying to calm her.

Mal squeezed her eyes shut as tears began pouring down her cheeks as she shook her head furiously.

"Hey, it's okay Beautiful," the blonde whispered as she tried to wipe some of the tears away. "It was just a bad dream. Everything's fine."

"We got you Mal. You're safe with us," Regina said as she leaned in to kiss her cheek and Emma kissed her head.

Yet, neither of their words or actions seemed to calm her down at all.

"No," she said quietly before pulling out of her lovers arms. She leaned over the brunette and quickly grabbed her phone from the nightstand.

Her fingers fumble slightly as the frantically scrolled through her contacts."

"What are you doing?" Emma asked softly.

"Lily. Need to know she's safe," Mal spoke through the tears still trickling down her cheeks.

The other two women looked at each other with concern as Mal put the phone to her ear with a shaking hand. A few moments passed before they heard Mal take a deep sigh of relief from hearing her daughter's sleep ridden voice.

"Lily..." her voice was a mix of raw emotion and pure relief. "No. No, everything's fine my darling. I...I just needed to hear your voice for a moment."

She felt her lovers place their arms around her once again and leaned back into them, now grateful to have them holding her.

"I'm so sorry for waking you," the dragon continued to speak softly as her breathing fully calmed.

There was a short pause when Lily asked her why she called.

"I just...I just had a horrible dream that's all," she said as her left hand reached for Emma's and felt both of them squeezing her tighter with the arms wrapped around her back.

"No, no," she shook her head as she spoke. "You don't have to..."

She's cut off and both of the other women could hear Lily's stern voice asking for the truth. They both smirked a bit at Lily's tone that was very similar to her mother's.

"Actually, yes. I would really...very much like to hold you for a moment," Mal said after taking a deep breath.

Suddenly, a large puff of smoke appeared on the other side of the room. Within a moment Lily stood there in her pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt.

Mal quickly dropped her phone in Regina's lap before poofing over to her daughter, not wanting to waste time by crawling over either of her lovers. Her arms are immediately thrown around her daughter. When Lily hugged her back tightly, Mal let out another deep relieved sigh.

Lily smiled as she let her mother relax into her. She had become much more used to hugs since coming to Storybrooke and being reunited with her mom.

"You okay?" she asked softly as she rubbed her mother's back.

"I am now," Mal placed one of her hands on the back of Lily's head. "I'm sorry that I woke you Lily, but...I just had to be sure that you were okay."

"I am," Lily pulled back enough to kiss her mother on the cheek. "Guess it must have been pretty bad huh? I'm fine Mom, I promise."

Mal nodded her head and wiped the last of her tears away.

"You sure you're alright? I can stay here tonight if it would help."

"Oh no, darling," the blonde shook her head slightly, "there's no need for that."

Mal was an expert at controlling her facial features...except around her family. Lily saw right through her brave face but decided not to argue with her. Instead, she went over her head.

She leaned over enough to see the other two women, "Regina?"

"The guest room is all yours, dear."

"Thank you," Lily smiled before smirking at her mom.

"Lily you don't need to..."

"I want to," she quickly cut her mother off. "I've had my fair share of nightmares too, so I get it. I'll be here if you need me.

Mal gave her an almost shy smile before hugging her again. "I love you so much," she said as she kissed Lily on the cheek.

"Love you too Mom. Come get me if you need me okay?"

She pulled back to see her mother nodding, "I will."

"Goodnight then," Lily kissed her mom back and then stepped around her. She smiled at the others before walking out the door and down to the guest room.

Maleficent let out one last sigh of relief, knowing that her daughter would be close by. She turned back to the bed to see her lovers smiling softly at her.

"Sorry for causing so much excitement at this hour," she apologized as she crawled back into bed between the other two.

"Don't be silly Maleficent," Emma said softly and kissed her head. "We care more about you than sleep."

"And coming from someone who we have to practically drag out of bed most days," Regina gestured to the sheriff with a smirk, "that's saying something."

Mal giggled as they encircled their arms around her once more. She then closed her eyes for a moment as her mind drifted back to the images in her dream. Her lower lip started to slightly shake, "It felt so real...I...I saw her blood..."

"Shhh, shhh," Regina tried to calm her as both her and Emma squeezed a little tighter. "It's okay Mal. Lily's safe."

"We all are," Emma kissed her cheek and the brunette quickly did the same. "Is there anything you need us to do Beautiful?"

The dragon took a calming breath as she focused on the feeling of Emma and Regina's arms around her. "Just...hold me until morning, please?"

They both kissed her on her lips lovingly before Regina turned the light out once again. They all laid back down in bed.

Her lovers tucked her between them and whispered, "I love you," in her ears.

"I love you both so much. I love your touches," Mal mumbled as she closed her eyes.

Emma and Regina both waited until they knew Mal was asleep before kissing her cheeks once more and quickly leaning over her to kiss each other before falling asleep themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Emma was startled awake by being magicked into the living room and falling onto the couch.

  
She almost jumped straight up before she spotted Lily standing next to her already fully dressed.

  
"What the freak?" she asked in an irritated tone.

  
"Sorry," Lily held her hands up in mock defeat, "but I need to talk to you before my mom wakes up."

  
Emma shot her friend her glare before resigning herself to her fate and sat up to stretch and yawn. "Fine. What's so important?"

  
"Not here. Let's go grab breakfast for everyone. We can talk on the way."

  
"Alright," the blonde stood and poofed herself into some jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, "but you're buying mine."

  
"Yeah, yeah let's just go." Lily gestured to the door.

  
She led the way outside, giving Emma time to grab her keys and phone, which she had to poof down from the bedroom. She also took a moment to write a quick note to her lovers and poofed it up to Regina's nightstand, just in case they and saw she was gone. The blonde locked the door back behind them and started walking alongside her friend.

  
"So what's so bad that you don't want Mal hearing?" she asked as they reached the sidewalk. "Does it have to do with what happened last night?"

  
"Kinda," Lily shoved her hands into her pockets. "Was she okay after I went to bed?" she asked sincerely.

  
"It took a few minutes for us to calm her down completely, but she slept fine the rest of the night."

  
"Good. As weird as it is to think of my oldest friend fucking my mom," she smirked and grimaced at the same time, "I'm glad she's got you and Regina. She needs that."

  
Emma smirked back, "If it bugs you that much then maybe you should stop thinking about it."

  
"Ewww," Lily shoved the blonde slightly as they continue to walk. "You know what I mean."

  
Emma started to laugh at the look on her friend's face, it wasn't long before Lily giggled some too, but with a shake to her head.

  
The blonde, however, was still wondering why she had to be missing out and sleep and cuddle time. "Seriously though, what's up?"

  
Lily looked down for a moment before licking her lips, "I want to run something by you before talking to my mom about it."

  
"Okay, start running," Emma smiled.

  
Lily returned the grin before starting to talk. "So, you know these past few years have been fantastic. For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm completely in control. Like I finally have my head on straight. And learning about my dragon half has just been amazing."

  
Emma nodded, "Yeah, I mean, compared to where we were as kids it's like the whole world has changed for the better."

  
The approached the dinner and the blonde held the door open for both of them. "But none of that sounds like a reason to be up this early. So what wrong?"

  
"Nothing's wrong. I've just been thinking of something lately."

  
They stop talking as they walk up to the counter and rattle off a huge order to Granny.

  
"Figures you'd wait until your day off to come in here and make me work this hard," Granny glared at Lily.

  
"I'm sure you'll make me work for it tomorrow," Lily said as both she and Emma sat down on a couple of the stools.

  
Granny smirked, "Count on it." She then headed back to the kitchen to fix up their order.

  
Emma turned to Lily to see her looking deep in thought all of a sudden. "What is it?"

  
Lily gave a light sigh, "This is sorta what I was getting at."

  
The blonde scrunched her brow in confusion as she waited for Lily to explain.

  
"Ths place is my home. I know that it's where I want to live out my life...for the most part anyway."

  
Realization dawned on Emma as she leaned in to whisper so no one else in the dinner would hear, "You're thinking about leaving Storybrooke?"

  
"Not for long, but yeah, maybe for at least a year or so."

  
"Why?"

  
"Because there is one thing I've always wanted, and now I'm finally confident enough to try it."

  
"Try what? Will you please just tell me already?"

  
"I want to get my bachelor's degree."

  
Emma looked at her and blinked a few times.

  
"Thanks for the look of confidence," Lily said sarcastically with a frown. "I know I've never been that smart, but you don't have to look so shocked."

  
"No! No Lily," Emma put her hand over her friend's. "That's not it. Hell, I'm sure you would have a way better chance of sticking to something like that than me. I fell asleep every day in school, sometimes even in gym class." She smiled as Lily grinned back at her. "I just never knew you cared about that."

  
"Because I never thought it was possible. My dad kept nagging me about applying until I finally sent some letters in just to shut him up. By some miracle a small community college accepted me, but just like everything else back then I justed ended up blowing it off. Met a guy in one of my classes on the first day and we spent most days smoking weed. Needless to say, I didn't get very far."

  
"And now that you have a more steady life you want to give it shot," Emma said with a knowing nod.

  
"Yeah. Took me long enough to get to a good place in my life so I figured I should start making use of it. I can enroll in Boston and get an apartment there for the year and then do online classes and live here during the summer. I want to go to class like a regular student, but I don't think I want to be away for a full four to five years."

  
The blonde smiled, "Sounds like you got it all figured out."

  
"Yeah," Lily suddenly sighed, "all except how to tell my mom. I don't want her to think I'm trying to get away from her, you know? She spent so long looking for me and I don't want it to look like I'm running from her now."

  
"She won't think that," Emma said confidently.

  
"How do you know?"

  
"Because I know Mal. She might be a little sad or even a little upset at first, but she'll also know that this is something that you want and something that would make you happy. She'll miss you, Lily but she'll also stand by you."

  
"Even after last night? I won't have magic outside the town line. If she needs me I won't be able to get to her as fast or vice versa. I don't want her to worry about me like that either."

  
"Lily, she's your mom. She's gonna worry no matter what. Gina will probably have a nervous breakdown once Henry moves out," she smiled at the thought of her brunette lover with her adorable pouty face she got every time the subject came up. "Maleficent is a pretty chill person though. Yeah her nightmare last night threw her for a loop for sure, but she's strong. If anything happens the two of you can call and talk to each other just like any other mother and daughter who live apart."

  
"I hope it's as easy as you make it sound Emma," she mumbled uncertainly.

  
That was when Granny came out of the kitchen with their order in two larger to-go bags. "Here you go, girls. Enjoy the rest of the day. And you," she pointed to Lily, "get here bright and early tomorrow.

  
"Yes, ma'am." Lily smiled as she pulled a few bills out of her pocket.

  
"Thanks, Granny," Emma said as she and Lily each grabbed a bag. "See you later."

  
The older woman waved them off with a smile as they walked out the door.

  
"So," the blonde spoke up once they were outside, "I imagine you won't be working here after you finish with your classes."

  
"No. I might when I get back here during the summer and maybe even for a little bit after I get the degree."

  
"But the end goal?"

  
"I've kinda been thinking of starting a little comic shop in town. That stupid little rack at the drugstore is just pathetic. We nerds need a way bigger selection to choose from."

  
"Well I'm sure that you would have at least two loyal customers with your mom's addiction to Wonder Woman and Henry's never-ending love for Marvel," she said with a giggle.

  
Lily laughed back, "Yeah, and I can already see Regina texting me to hold the My Little Pony comics for her while threatening to fireball me if I let anyone know they're for her."

  
"She'll probably even be willing to pay you extra to discreetly drop them off at home for her too. Either that or talk one of us into go getting them for her."

  
"How long do you think it would be before you and mom would be reading them too?"

  
"Honestly? It's kinda our thing to read or watch that stuff together."

  
"Really? Is that why my mom wears that weird dragon shirt to bed?"

  
"Partly yes," she smirked.

  
Lily looked down for a moment as they continued to walk, "Perhaps I can use all this as an argument for why I should go off to school."

  
"It'll be fine, Lily. I promise." Emma gave her an understanding and comforting smile. She knew Mal would want what would make Lily happy, no matter what.

  
The brunette shrugged and then gave a small smirk, "I guess if it does go south I can always get those beans in Regina's vault and use those to sneak out of town for a few months," she joked.

  
"If you can find them. Regina keeps them locked up pretty tight."

  
"Well she needs to work on her hiding skills then, cuz I already know where they are."

  
"Oh?" Emma scrunched her brow, "Did Mal tell you?"

  
"No, but she and I were down there working on some magic lessons. She left me to go through the vault to see if I could figure out what we needed on my own. I found the beans while looking," Lily shrugged nonchalantly.

  
Emma froze midstep as her mind processed what Lily had just said and she thought to herself, _"That shouldn't be possible. Unless..."_ Her eyes widened as everything clicked.

  
Lily had taken a couple more steps before realizing that Emma had stopped. She turned back around and scrunched her brow when she saw the blonde's face. "What's wrong."

  
"Nothing!" Emma said a little too fast. She shook her head quickly, trying to right herself. "I, uh, I just thought she hid them a lot better than that. Can't let the wrong people get their hand on them, you know?"

  
The brunette narrowed her eyes, clearly not buying Emma's excuse. Yet with everything that was already on her mind, she decided to let it be.

  
"Well, you might want to tell her to find another spot for them," she brushed off the conversation and continued walking.

  
"Yeah, I will." Emma ran her hand through her hair. She knew breakfast would have to wait once they got back home. She would have to talk to her lovers about this as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

Once the two walked through the door to the mansion, Emma asked Lily to go set up the food while she went wake up everyone. When the brunette nodded the blonde headed up the stairs.

She knocked on her son's door, "Henry! Breakfast is downstairs."

She barely heard him mumble, "'kay...be there in a minute."

Emma grinned at his sleepy tone before turning to the room she shared with her lovers. Walking into the room she saw that both Mal and Regina were wide awake and sitting up against the headboard with the blonde in the brunette's arms. Mal must have still been upset after the night before.

She smiled at them both. "Good morning," she said as she walked around the room and sat on her side of the bed on top of the blankets.

Emma leaned over to give them both a quick kiss before wrapping her arms around the dragon. "How long have you guys been awake?"

"Not long. Where did you get off to so early, Baby? Your note just said you were going out."

"You had us worried for a bit Kitten before we found your note," Mal snuggled further into the embrace, very happy that Emma was back.

"I'm sorry," she kissed Mal's cheek, "but I didn't have a choice. Lily magiced me out of bed and we went to grab breakfast from Granny's. She's downstairs waiting for us. Henry's probably down by now too."

Mal quickly sat up straighter with a slightly scared look on her face. "Why did she want you to go with her? Is she upset with me after last night?"

"No, Beautiful, of course not," she said as she rubbed Mal's arms and shoulders. "She's glad she could come over here and help you."

The dragon ignored the comforting look Emma was giving her, still not fully convinced. If there was one thing that could make her lose her patience it was the idea of having Lily upset with her. "Then why didn't she just wait for us all to wake up so we could go together?"

Emma gave a small sigh, she knew Lily should be the one to give Mal all the details. "She wanted to talk to me about something," she said simply.

"What was it?"

"Nothing bad, I promise," Emma squeezed her a little tighter. "It's something that she'll talk to you about when she's ready. Until then just trust me, please?"

Mal pursed her lips. She did not like not having a full answer.

"Remember last month before Henry came out to us and you told us to trust you?" Regina asked as she ran her fingers through the dragon's hair. "You need to trust Emma now, and Lily too. She loves you Mal and she won't hurt you. Trust her to come to you."

Mal sighed and finally relaxed into her lovers arms again, "You're right Poppet. I do trust her and you Kitten," she turned her head to kiss the other blonde who quickly kissed her back with a smile. "I suppose that dream still has some hold on me this morning."

"We understand my cariño." Regina gave Mal a loving kiss as well. "Now let's go join our children, shall we?"

"Funny you should say it that way," Emma mumbled as she scratched her head nervously. Her mind going back to what she had discovered from talking to Lily.

"What did you say, Emma?" Regina asked with a raised brow.

The sheriff bit her lip before turning her head to the other blonde. "Mal, I know this is gonna sound like a weird question to right now but, who is Lily's other parent?"

Mal's eyes widened before she scrunched her brows, "Why in the world are you asking me that Emma?"

"I told you it would sound weird, but it is important," Emma made sure to keep her voice soft. She knew this must not be an easy subject since the dragon had never once spoken of it.

"It that what Lily wanted to talk to you about?"

"No, no that wasn't it. Umm," Emma ran a hand through her hair and then locked eyes with the dragon. "I promise I'll explain in a minute, Mal, just please tell us. Do you know who Lily's other parent is?"

Regina raised a brow again. Why did Emma insist that Mal tell them both? Truthfully, it was something she had wondered about for the last few years but never seen it as her business to ask.

Maleficent stayed quiet for a moment while looking at Emma, then she sighed before speaking. "She was conceived during a...difficult time in my life. I still had a lot of darkness in me during that time, especially as Regina started to slip away from me to spend more time focusing on revenge."

She paused when she felt Regina's arms hold her tighter and her head being placed on her shoulder. She hated talking about that time, knowing how much guilt it brought to the brunette. Mal brought her hand up to stroke Regina's dark hair and tilted her head up to kiss her lovingly.

When she pulled back she pecked the brunette on her cheek and saw her give a small grin before turning back to the other blonde.

"When Regina first found me I had thrown myself into a depression, one that had nothing to do with the seasons. Then when she started drifting away, I chose to drown out my feelings in another way, in the hands of others. I was so distraught I even bedded a few men," she shook her head at old behavior. She never saw anything appealing about being with a man, yet at that time, she was so troubled that she did not care who it was. As long as they kept her mind off Regina, she was satisfied.

"I...I have no idea which one gave me Lily," Mal admitted in a quiet voice. A blush came across her face. She knew her lovers wouldn't look down on her for her past behavior, but it still did not mean it was something she was proud of.

She felt relief when she saw both her lovers giving her understanding smiles. They did not care about her sexual past, they were just glad she was here with them now.

"So," Emma gently tucked a lock of Mal's hair behind her ear, "were the two of you still with each other at all during that time?" she asked both her lovers.

"Like she said, I had just started stepping away from her. Something I still very much regr..."

"Don't Poppet," Mal locked eyes with Regina. "If it wasn't for all that we went through back then, then we would not have what we do today." The last part was said while smiling at Emma. She knew that no matter what happened in the past it was worth it to get to this point in her life.

Emma and Regina smiled in agreement before the brunette continued, "There were times that I came to my senses long enough to find my way back to Maleficent again," she kissed the dragon lightly, remembering the few moments of light in the darkness of her life.

Regina then turned to the sheriff, "Why are you asking all this Emma?"

"Because...umm... Lily kinda said something on the way back that had me thinking," Emma spoke slowly and a bit nervously. She wasn't at all sure how to say what she needed to.

The mayor and dragon both looked at her patiently yet curiously, waiting for her to continue.

Emma spoke after letting out a breath. "The magic beans in your vault, Angel. You said you had them protected right?"

"Yes," Regina narrowed her eyes as she got more confused over where Emma was going with this. "They're in a box locked with blood magic. Why?"

"Because," Emma looked directly into Regina's eyes, "Lily said she found them when she was down there practicing her magic."

"She... wait, what?" the brunette shook her head slightly, not quite processing what had just been said. She had not noticed that Mal's mouth fell open at that moment as well.

"Lily was able to open the box, Regina."

"But...that could only mean..." the mayor's voice drifted off as she and Mal looked at each other in astonishment.

Emma sat quietly as her lovers gazed at each other, both shocked at what she had just told them.

They knew true love could do just about anything, but back then neither thought they could have it due to how dark their hearts were. Yet, evidently, they were.

They were all so deep in thought that they jumped from the sound of a light knocking on the door. Lily walked in and leaned against the door frame looking at the other three women.

"Hey, what's the holdup? Henry and I already started eating."

Mal and Regina simply stared at her, still completely shocked. Emma bit her lip, not sure if she should speak or not.

Lily raised a brow at the silence, "Everything okay?"

"Yes," Maleficent said suddenly found her voice again. She shook her head slightly to clear it, "Sorry, love, we just got to talking. We'll be down to join you in a moment."

"You sure everything's alright?"

Both blondes nodded while Regina kept staring at her like she was star-struck.

Lily gave a suspicious look to the mayor, "Okaaay," she said uncertainly, "We'll be waiting." With that, she walked back out the door while shrugging to herself.

Even with the door shut and the younger brunette nowhere in sight Regina's eyes were still glued to the door.

Both blondes glanced at each other, worried over their lover's reaction.

"Angel?"

Emma's voice finally drew Regina out of her thoughts as she turned to her and Mal, yet the shocking look remained.

"She's...she's my..."

"Daughter," Mal said as Regina's voice drifted off. She reached for the brunette's hand and licked their fingers. "Our daughter Regina."

Regina gave a slow silent nod.

Emma reached over and put her hand on the mayor's thigh over the blanket, "Talk to us, Regina. You okay?"

"I...I don't really know what to think right now. I suppose I need to talk to her though," the brunette was still more shocked than she had ever been in her life. A daughter, she had a daughter.

"Yes, you will, Poppet. We'll be here for you both when you do. As astonishing as this is for me to hear, I can't imagine what it means for you, my love."

"What about you?" Regina suddenly looked into Mal's eyes with a slight panic in her voice. "Are you okay with this? I know how much you love spending time with her, I don't want to interfere with that."

Maleficent smiled as she let go of Regina's hand only to wrap her arm around her waist, "As I said, this is all very surprising," she paused when she saw the brunette look down into her lap.

Mal put a finger under her chin to make her look up at her. "But, I spent so long feeling guilty about not knowing who Lily's other parent was, especially after she and I were reunited. Now, knowing that you were the one who gave her to me...Regina, it only makes me love you more."

Regina gave a watery smile before leaning in to kiss the dragon, "Thank you Mal. I love you too."

Emma smiled at both of them. She waited for them to separate before speaking, "We need to go downstairs before she or Henry comes up to check on us again."

Regina nodded, "Let's go." She stood up from the bed slightly shaky. "I'll talk to her after we eat."

"Do you want us with you?" Mal asked as she scooted off the bed to stand by her lover.

"No, I...I feel like I should do this myself."

Emma got up and walked around the bed, "Let us know if you change your mind, Angel." She kissed Regina's cheek, "We're here if you need us."

Regina smiled before she and Mal dressed in jeans and t-shirts and they all headed downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

"What took you guys so long?" Henry was already rinsing his plate in the sink when Mal and his mothers finally came into the kitchen.

Regina paused at the sound of her son's voice as she entered the room. She had not thought about what Henry's reaction to learning about Lily would be. The two got along fine, but things could always change with news this big.

Mal placed a hand on Regina's back when she saw her worried look. She smiled softly at her before turning to their children, "We're sorry about that, but we just had a few things we needed to discuss."

Lily's eyes widened and she instantly turned to Emma, "You told them?"

The blonde quickly swallowed the bite of her bear claw that she had immediately grabbed when she came into the kitchen before raising her hand in mock surrender. "I didn't, I swear," she spoke with her mouth still half full.

"It's true, she didn't," Mal saved her lover from her daughter's accusing stare. "She only said that there was something you would need to discuss with me when you're ready. You know you can always talk to me about anything right?" she walked up to Lily and grabbed her hand in her own as she talked.

Lily visibly relaxed and shot Emma an apologetic glance before smiling at her mother, "Yeah, I know Mom and I will talk to you soon, promise." She looked at her mother straight in the eye, "You okay?"

"Yes," Mal smiled, "Thank you for staying last night." She wrapped her arms around her daughter, "I love you, Lily."

"Love you too."

They hugged for a moment before Lily stepped away to put her own dishes in the sink and the others sat down to eat.

"Moms, is it okay if I head over to Nick's? I told him I would come over and play a few games." Henry asked as he wiped his hand on a towel.

"Sure Kid," Emma used the back of her hand to wipe sugary crumbs from her face, "Just call us if your plans change or if you think you're gonna be late."

"Will do," he looked over to his brunette mother, noticing that she had yet to speak. "You alright Mom?"

Regina looked over at her son and came out of her daze, "Yes, Henry I'm fine," she smiled.

Henry was not convinced but let it slide, for now, he knew if anything bad had happened she had Emma and Mal to help her.

He kissed her cheek along with Mal and Emma's and gave a brief hug to Lily before leaving the house.

"So," Emma turned to her friend, "what are your plans for today?"

"Probably do some flying later on. Been a while since I got to. Want to come with me Mom?"

"I'd love to," Mal smiled widely at the idea of spending the day flying with her daughter.

Lily grinned, "Well, I think I'll head out and do a little shopping for now. I'll call you this afternoon Mom."

"Okay, sweetheart," Mal said before she and Emma looked to each other and then turned to Regina.

She was still being very quiet. When Lily's back was turned they both looked to her with a raised brow, silently asking if she was going to say anything to the younger woman. Regina quickly shook her head as if to say, 'not now.'

Lily turned back and kissed her mom's cheek and gave a quick hug to Emma and then Regina. She found it odd when Regina hugged her back tighter than usual. "You sure you're okay Regina?"

"Of," Regina cleared her throat as she felt her voice cracking slightly, "Of course," she smiled. "I'm fine. Be careful and have fun today."

Lily nodded before saying goodbye and heading for the door.

The blondes waited to hear the door close before turning to Regina. They saw her let out a breath as she dropped her head onto her folded arms on the table.

They moved to sit on either side of her and put their arms around her back and waited for the brunette to speak.

Regina raised up enough to lay her forehead on her palms. "I took one look at her and chickened out," she mumbled.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Angel. It's not like you've had that much time to get used to this news yourself."

"There's no deadline Poppet. You can talk to her when you're ready."

Emma pressed her lips together, but quickly righted her face. She thought that may not be so true with Lily planning on going to college soon, but she didn't dare say anything about it. She knew, however, that Regina would be disappointed if she had not talked to her before that.

"I...I think I've changed my mind," Regina sat up straight and turned her head from one blonde to another. "You both should be there when I tell her. Just in case things...go downhill.

"Of course we will Regina," Mal kissed her temple. "We'll be there for both of you."

Emma ran her hand through Regina's dark hair. "Honestly, knowing her, she could freak out at first." She paused when she saw her lover lower her head. She gently placed a hand under her chin to lift it back up, "but she knows you, Regina. She knows how much you love Henry and how much you already care for her. She'll be in shock, just like you are now, but then she'll probably just want to get to know you more. Just like she did with Mal when they first met. And she will end up loving you just as much. And if you're worried about Henry, they already get along great. It's not like finding out she's his sister would be the most shocking thing he's ever learned about this family."

Mal and Regina both smiled and giggled at that.

The mayor leaned over and kissed the sheriff's cheek, "Thank you, Baby."

Emma nodded but then smirked, "Then after everyone gets used to it, I can tease her twice as much about being with her moms."

She smiled as both her lovers laugh again.

"Please don't be too mean to our daughter Kitten."

"Our daughter," Regina repeated quietly. "It's going to take some time to get used to that."

"But you will," Mal leaned over to kiss the brunette until they both pulled back with a smile.

"So," Emma reached for the mayor's hand, "do you still feel up keeping to our plans and go to the beach today, Angel? Cause if you don't we can do anything else you want."

Regina smiled, "Actually, Baby, I think a day relaxing in the sun with the two of you is just what I need. Plus, it will give me some extra time to think of how I can talk to Lily."

The blondes nodded before they all finished their breakfast then went upstairs to collect their things for a day at the beach.

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The three had spent the entire day strolling hand in hand on the shore of the beach and swimming in the water. Usually, the water was much too cool for Maleficent's liking, but that day was a rare time when it had been warmed by the summer sun so she was more than happy to take advantage of it.

Regina enjoyed having a day off with her lovers, but she just could not keep her mind off Lily. Every now and then the blondes would catch their lover daydreaming and would either kiss or playfully splash her to bring her mind back to the present. Of course, the sight of her lovers in their bikinis also helpt to keep Regina's mind plenty distracted.

They stayed until the afternoon when Mal got a text from her daughter saying she was ready to go flying. She magiced herself into a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt while her lovers simple pulled on shirts and shorts over their swimsuits, they'd change when they got home.

"Perhaps you can invite her to dinner after your flight?" Regina asked as they were packing up their beach towels.

"I can, but you can still wait to talk to her Poppet."

"No. The sooner I do this the better. She deserves to know."

Emma came up behind her and wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist. "And you won't be alone," she said before kissing her temple.

Regina smiled and nodded gratefully before turning around to kiss the sheriff lovingly.

Mal smiled as she walked up to both of them and giving them each a kiss as well. "We should be back in a few hours. I love you both."

"We love you too. Be safe my cariño."

"Have fun, Beautiful."

With a wave of her hand, Mal vanished into the woods where her daughter said she would be waiting.

After she left the mayor looked into Emma's eyes, "What was it that Lily talked to you about today?"

The blonde shook her head, "Sorry, Regina, I love you and Mal, but I promised her that I wouldn't tell."

"You said you wouldn't tell Mal."

"Technically, I said I wouldn't tell her mom," she said with a smirk. She couldn't help but smile at the cute pout that appeared on Regina's face. "It'll be okay, Angel. We will all be okay," she said as she kissed her cheek.

"How do you know?" Regina laid her head against Emma's shoulder and snuggled deeper into her hold.

"Um, have you seen the amount of drama our family had already survived? This is just an average Friday for us."

Regina laughed hard at that before kissing Emma soundly.

"Thank you, Emma," she said meaningfully as they pulled apart.

"No problem, Angel. Now let's get home and wait for the dragons, shall we?"

When Regina nodded they both grabbed their bags and headed back to the car.


	5. Chapter 5

It took a while before the citizens of Storybrooke to get used to seeing a dragon or two flying overhead and not being frightened by them. Finally, however, Maleficent and Lily could transform whenever they wished without any dwarves running around shouting about attacking dragons.

Yet, Lily, honestly, still had not grown used to it herself. Most of her life she had felt trapped in no-win situations. But now, up in the air in the form of an impressive beast, she felt so exhilarated free. It was a feeling that she knew she would never grow tired of.

She and her mother flew over the woods surrounding the town, feeling the rush of the wind. And they both loved it. They never spoke during this time, yet this was still an incredible bonding experience for them.

Mal silently wondered how Regina would bond with their daughter. After all, she had long ago discovered that her lover did not do well with air travel. She knew that they would figure everything out eventually though.

After nearly two hours of flying the two finally landed back in the spot in the woods where they had first met up.

"That's never gonna get old," Lily said with a grin once the smoke from their magic cleared.

Mal laughed, "It can be invigorating. Although I must admit it can become less exciting after so many years. It's much better having someone to share the skies with though."

She smiled at her daughter only to see her look away almost guiltily. Walking over to her, she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Lily? Is everything okay?""Yeah, Mom. I'm good. Just...just thinking I guess," Lily tried to fake a smile, but she knew her mother wasn't buying it.

"Does this have anything to do with what you told Emma."

Lily swallowed, "Kinda yeah. Look can we talk about it a little later? It's nothing bad but I don't want to ruin the moment right now."

Mal locked eyes with her, "Darling, you know you can always tell me anything."

"Yeah, I do. It's not that. Can..." she paused with a sigh, "can we please just talk about it a little later?"

Mal honestly wanted to say no. She desperately wanted to know what was on her daughter's mind, yet she knew better than to push her.

"Very well. Take your time dear," she placed a soft kiss on Lily's dark hair. "I'll be here when you're ready. In the meantime how about coming back with me and having dinner with all of us?"

"You sure they wouldn't mind?"

"Not at all. In fact, Regina is the one who asked me to invite you. She has, um," Mal caught herself, not sure if she should say anything. But now Lily was looking at her questionably so she decided to finish her earlier thought, "She has something she wishes to discuss with you."

"Really? About what?"

"That's for her to tell you, Darling."

Lily narrowed her eyes slightly, making her look so much like Regina that Mal wasn't sure how it had taken her so long to figure it out.

"You sure you're not just being cryptic because I am?" Lily asked with a smirk.

Mal laughed and shook her head. "No Lily, but you will have your questions answered soon." With that she reached for her daughter's hand, "Let's go, shall we? We both know how Emma is if she has to wait too long for food."

Lily smirked, "Right behind you."

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Henry ended up calling home to say that his grandparents wanted him to come to dinner with them and to spend the night. Snow had been planning some extra tutoring sessions for school and wanted Henry's opinion on them.

The dinner had been rather normal. The four of them chatting about their day and making additional small talk. Yet, Lily couldn't help but notice how Regina was still very quiet throughout the meal, just as she had that morning.

"So Regina?" Lily spoke as they all moved into the living room after washing up the dishes. She sat on one end of the couch with her mother on the other and Regina in the middle while Emma sat in the large armchair in the room. "Mom said you have something to tell me. Is everything okay?"

Regina quickly locked eyes with Mal, hoping Lily did not notice the worry in her eyes. Mal smiled and nodded her head in encouragement.

She licked her lips before turning to face Lily, "Yes everything is fine. I, um..." Regina could feel her heart racing. She remembered telling Henry that she was not his birth mother and feared Lily would have a similar reaction. "Um, how are your magic lessons coming along?" she asked, hoping to get to the root of the situation in a more casual way.

Lily narrowed her eyes quickly, she knew something was up. "I'm doing okay, I guess."

"You're doing amazing," Mal spoke with a proud smile.

"If you say so," Lily shrugged.

"Darling, it's incredible how far you've come. Especially since you haven't been practicing for that long. "I am very proud of you. You're certainly a better student than Regina was," she sent a smirk to Emma after hearing her stifle a laugh at that. The sheriff had heard many stories of Regina trying to take shortcuts with her lessons.

Lily ran a hand through her hair, "Glad you think so because..." She glanced who smiled encouragingly. "That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."

Both Mal and Regina perked up a bit when she said that. Hoping to finally be let in on the secret. They waited patiently for their daughter to continue.

"I..." Lily licked her lips, "I want to go back to school. To get my degree."

Maleficent smiled in relief, "Lily, that's wonderful! Why all the secrecy over that though? I am proud that you want to better your education. There are many colleges that you can apply to online and we'd be glad to help you in any way we can."

"Thanks, Mom. But...I don't want to do it the online way. At least not altogether. I...I want to go to school outside of Storybrooke."

"Oh..." Mal's smile faded, "You...you're leaving?"

"No! Not for good, anyway." Lily leaned forward a bit to look at her mother better. "I want to go to Boston and live there during the semester but come home during the breaks. And it won't take as long if I take online classes during the summer. It's...it's just something I think I need to do."

"I see." The dragon was trying to take in all the information Lily had told her.

She felt Emma move to sit on the arm of the couch beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "She's not leaving forever, Beautiful. And she'll only be a few hours away, we can drive down to see her whenever you want."

"She's right Mom. I would never leave you or this town for good. I promise."

A few moments went by in silence.

"Mom, please say someth..."

Lily was cut off by Regina blurting out, "I'm your mother."


	6. Chapter 6

Regina's eyes widened once she realized what she had just said. She had scenarios of how she would break the news to Lily all day, yet this had definitely not one of them. She just could not keep it in any longer, especially with the prospect of Lily leaving so soon.

Everyone was silent for a few moments before Lily spoke, "I'm sorry. What?"

Regina exchanged looks with both her lovers before she turned to face the younger brunette. With a deep breath, she started talking, "I...I didn't mean for it to come out that bluntly, Lily. But, it's true. We realized this morning that I am your other parent."

"Realized it how? Mom told me she didn't know who helped to conceive me." Lily asked with narrowed and confused eyes.

"Emma told us about you accidentally finding the magic portal beans in my vault."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"They were protected by blood magic. Only someone with my blood could open it," Regina's eyes watered slightly as the next words came out of her mouth, "You're my blood, Lily. You're my daughter."

Lily blinked a few times, "How...how is that even possible?"

"True love," Mal spoke with a smile. "Regina and I were both in dark places in our lives back then. As strong as we felt for each other, neither of us believed that it would be possible for us to have true love. Thankfully, we were wrong and was blessed with you."

Lily sat staring at both her mothers, trying to process what they were saying.

"Lily?" Regina reached a hand out to the younger woman, only for her to stand up abruptly as soon as she felt the touch.

"I think I need some air," she mumbled quickly before turning towards the door.

Regina's eyes followed her out of the room before looking down in defeat.

Mal rose to her feet to go after her daughter but was stopped by Emma.

"Let me go after her. You stay with Angel," the blonde spoke softly. When she received a reluctant nod from the dragon she turned to go after her friend.

Mal sat back down and quickly pulled Regina into her arms. She ran her fingers through her soft hair and whispered to her soothingly as the brunette cried silently into her neck.

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"Lily, wait!" Emma caught up to her just as her friend made it to the sidewalk. When she met up with her she gently grabbed her friend's shoulder to stop her. "Are you okay?"

"I...I don't even know. It's just a lot to take in, you know?"

"You're talking to the girl who found out her best friend/roommate was her mother," Emma said with a smirk.

"True," Lily smiled before shaking her head slightly. "This is so weird. Why didn't the apprentice tell me about Regina? He told about everything else that night. My mom, your parents, you. Why not her?"

"Maybe he didn't know. Everything he ever talked about he either experienced himself or was in Henry's book. As smart and mysterious as he was, maybe his knowledge of our stories are limited to that."

"Maybe."

"Hey," Emma waited for Lily's eyes to meet hers, "you're not upset, are you? About being Regina's kid? Because I can promise you when I go back in there she'll be thinking you hate her."

"No, I don't hate her. This is just a lot to process. Until now, Regina was just a good friend and now she's my parent." Lily took a few moments to gather her thoughts, "Look, can you please tell her that I'll come to talk to her and Mom tomorrow? I just need tonight to think all this out."

"Of course," Emma then wrapped her arms around Lily in a hug. "Call me if you need me and. Alright?" she asked as she pulled away.

"I will. Thanks, Emma. Um, can you do me a favor and poof me home? I don't really feel like walking and my head's not clear enough to use my magic yet."

"Sure, no problem. See you tomorrow."

Lily nodded as she was enveloped in Emma's magic and transported back to her apartment.

As soon as the mist disappeared, Lily walked into her bedroom and fell face-first onto the bed with a groan. As she turned over and stared at the ceiling, she couldn't help but wonder about the future. She never got Maleficent's opinion of her college plans and now she had a whole new mother to think about.

Even though she was grown and knew she could do what she wanted, Lily hated the idea of leaving without their blessing, especially since she knew how much Mal needed her in her life. Plus, she wanted time to get to know Regina better, not to mention Henry. He had been like a brother to her already, but now he really was her little brother.

With another groan, she got up to put on her pajamas. If she was gonna spend half the night wondering and worrying she was at least gonna do it while comfortable.

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Emma walked into the mansion saw just what she had expected to. Her lovers were still sitting on the couch and Regina was crying in Mal's arms. The blonde didn't seem to be doing much better.

Emma circled the couch and kneeled on the floor next to Regina, "Hey, Angel. It's okay," she placed her hand on the brunette's knee and started rubbing in it softly.

"No, it's not," Regina spoke through her sobs. "She hates the idea of being mine. I ruined everything!"

"Regina, no." Emma reached up to stroke Regina's cheek and wiped some of the tears away. "Lily does not hate you," she gently moved the mayor's face to look at her as she spoke. "But she has had a bit of a shock and just needs time to process all this."

"Is she okay, for now though?" Mal asked while she continued to hold her brunette lover.

"Yes. She said she'll be back to talk to the two of you tomorrow. Just give her the night to think."

"Hear that Poppet?" Mal lowered her head to look into deep brown eyes. "She'll be back tomorrow."

Regina sniffed and finally straightened up a little, while still staying in Mal's arms. She spoke in a voice just above a whisper, "I already had to live through two years of one child hating me. I don't know if I can survive something like that again."

"That won't happen, Gina," Emma rose from her spot on the floor to sit next to the brunette on the couch. "'I don't hate her,' those were her exact words. And my superpower didn't even give off the slightest ping."

"You're sure?"

"I promise, Angel."

Regina sniffled a couple more times before leaning just enough out of Mal's embrace to wrap her own arms around Emma, "Thank you, Baby, and thank you for being there for Lily."

"Of course. I'll always be here for all of you." She kissed Regina as they pulled apart.

The brunette settled between her two lovers. "I suppose we just need to wait to see what happens tomorrow." She turned to Mal, "Are you okay my cariño? You haven't said too much since Lily left."

The dragon gave a small shrug, "I'm not sure," she spoke softly. "I want Lily to be happy, but...I don't want her to leave," she hid face by looking down when her voice cracked on the last word.

"She's not leaving for good, Beautiful. Only for a few months at a time."

"She's right Mal," Regina took the dragon's hand again, "I don't like it any more than you do, but this is just something all parents have to live through."

"Most parents got to raise their children Regina. I just got Lily back after three decades of being without her. I can't watch her walk away."

"You've spent more time with her than I have. Now I'll only have a small amount of time to get to know my daughter before she leaves."

"You got to raise Henry! You already have plenty of memories with your child. I don't!"

"So? That doesn't mean I don't want memories with Lily too. She's just as important to me as Henry is!"

"That's not my poin..."

"Guys, stop!"

They both turned to Emma who was staring at them pointedly. "Lily is not leaving forever. And even if she was it's her life and her choice. I understand you two not being thrilled by this, but arguing with each other will only make you feel worse than you already do. So, just stop, please."

The three of them didn't fight often, but when they did it didn't take long for them to start feeling guilty for it.

Mal and Regina both sighed, realizing how ridiculous they sounded just a few moments before.

"I'm sorry Baby," Regina said softly.

"As am I. I suppose we're both allowing the stress of all this get the best of us," Mal spoke before leaning over to kiss Regina's cheek. She smiled when the brunette leaned closer to her.

"That's okay," Emma got up once more and sat down on the coffee table to be in front of her lovers. She took each of their hands into her own as she spoke. "Look, I get how much all this is eating at you both. But that just proves how much you both care for her. Promise me you'll try to focus on that instead of all the horrible 'what if's' that I'm sure is going through both your heads."

The dragon and the mayor gave soft smiles as they nodded, agreeing to the promise.

"Good," Emma returned the smiles. "Besides, you'll only have to wait one night before she comes to talk to you. In the meantime," she stood and pulled gently on her lovers hands, "what do you both say about a hot, relaxing bath and then watching 'Rainbow Rocks' before we turn in for the night?"

"I think that sounds perfect Emma," Mal said as both she and Regina got to their feet. "Thank you for being so kind after our outbursts, Kitten."

"No problem Mal," she kissed the other blonde on her lips. "I'll always be there to tell you guys when you're acting like a couple of asses," she smirked.

For the first time that night, both Regina and Mal laughed.

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma's neck, "Of that, we have no doubt. But, um, will you be there when Lily comes to talk to us tomorrow?"

"If you guys want me to, I will."

"I think that would be for the best," Mal said as she embraced both her lovers. "Lily would probably be grateful to have you there as well."

"You can count on me."

"We know," Regina said with a kiss.

"And we love you for it," the dragon followed with a kiss of her own.

Emma smiled as she gently pulled away from the embrace, "I love you both too. Now, let's get upstairs so I can work on getting your minds off all the bad thoughts."

With that Regina and Mal shared a small kiss and then held hands as they followed closely behind Emma until they reached their bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

Despite the relaxing evening, she had the night before Regina still slept more restlessly than normal. Mal did not fare much better. They had both woke up worried about what the day could bring. Emma woke up to an empty bed, which wasn't all that unusual. However, the blonde would usually wake up to see both her lovers already getting prepared to start their day. But this day they were nowhere in sight.

She went downstairs and saw both of them in the kitchen when Emma came downstairs after getting dressed. Regina was preparing eggs and bacon for all of them with a solemn look on her face while Mal leaned against the counter and stared into her coffee mug and both of them were still in their robes.

Emma sighed silently before going over to Mal. She tilted her face up to kiss her softly. That earned her a soft smile, yet it did not reach the dragon's blue eyes.

Taking Mal's hand she led her over to Regina and then slipped one arm around each woman. She kissed the brunette's cheek, "So what's the big idea of you two leaving me all alone to wake up this morning?" she said with a smirk.

Both women gave small smiles.

"Sorry Baby," Regina leaned her head against Emma's shoulder.

"We both woke up rather anxious. We didn't see the need of dragging you out of bed to deal with it," Mal said as she placed her coffee down in favor of wrapping both of her arms around Emma's waist.

"We're family, Mal. When one or more of us is dealing with something the others will always be there for them. If you guys need me, I don't care what I'm doing, you get me and we'll fight it together. No matter what it is. I love you both so much and I love Lily too, so let me be here with you."

Regina put down her spatula to join Mal in hugging their sheriff. For all the times Emma would drive her up the wall, she wouldn't change anything about the incredible woman that she and the dragon had been blessed with.

She kissed Emma's cheek as she heard Mal start to speak, "Thank you, Kitten. You have no idea how much having you with us is helping."

"We're sorry that we haven't been as open about this as we probably should be, Emma. But we love you too. Thank you for being here for us."

"No thanks necessary Angel. I just don't want you two closing yourselves off. Nothing good would happen if you did."

Both Mal and Regina nodded and smiled as Emma kissed each of them.

They only broke apart when Regina had to take the food off the stove. Emma reached over and snatched Mal's coffee to take a sip, earning her an amused scoff and a playful swat on the butt from the dragon. Regina laughed at her lovers and Emma was beyond grateful to hear both her lovers laugh.

Suddenly, they heard the front door open.

Regina's eyes widened at the sound of their son coming home. She knew she would have to break the news to Henry as well and there wasn't any reason to delay. Her lovers gave her encouraging nods as Henry walked into the room.

"Morning, everyone," he greeted as he went to the fridge to get the milk. "Sorry I didn't text before coming home, but I had to get out of there fast. Grandma 'surprised' us," he said with air quotes, "with her homemade waffles."

Emma shuddered. Snow was a decent cook, but she wasn't anywhere close to Regina or Granny's skill level. Her waffles were a testament to that fact. They always came out tasting like hard cardboard. "Glad you were able to escape kid."

"I almost sneaked Neal out too, but Grandpa stopped me. I don't think he wanted to suffer alone."

"Here," Regina scooped some of the eggs and bacon onto a plate for her son. "Take these and I'll make some more."

"Thanks, Mom," Henry sat down at the table when it finally dawned on him that something was off. "How come Ma's dressed and you and Mal aren't? Isn't usually the other way around?"

Regina gave a small smile and then motioned for Emma to take over on the stove. She also reached for Mal's hand and looked into her eyes, silently asking her to help her tell Henry.

The dragon nodded and then the two moved to sit across from the boy.

Henry looked to both of them and then to Emma. His eyes landed back on Regina as he spoke, "What's wrong? You guys are all wearing your 'serious/worried mom' faces."

"Nothing is wrong my little prince, but something has come up that you need to know about."

"Okay," he sat down his fork and gave his full attention to his mother and Mal.

"You remember how your mother has the magic beans protected by blood magic in her vault?" Mal paused as the boy nodded. "Well, Emma recently learned that someone...unexpected was able to access it."

Henry's brows scrunched, "Robyn's magic started? I thought you said that she shouldn't be able to use it until she's older?"

"It wasn't your cousin." Regina reached across the table and placed her hand on her son's forearm and waited for him to look her in the eye. "It was Lily," she said simply.

The others looked to him to see a neutral look on his face as he asked, "You're Lily's other parent?"

"I am," Regina said with a nod. "She's your sister Henry."

Emma came over with the rest of the plates and she and Mal exchanged a worried look as Regina held her breath, waiting for her son's reaction.

What he did was certainly not what she or the rest of them had expected.

Henry smirked, "About time you guys figured it out."

He laughed at the wide-eyed look he got from each of the women.

"Wait," Emma was the first to come out of her shock. "You knew? How? Not even Mal knew before we found out about Lily breaking through the blood magic spell."

Henry gave a smile and a shrug at the same time, "Well, I know that Mal and Mom were together in the Enchanted Forrest. And Lily may look like Mal in her dragon form, but in her human form she looks more like Mom, especially her eyes." He shrugged one more time before looking at her Regina and Mal, "Honestly, it wasn't that hard to figure out. I just never wanted to bring it up just in case I was wrong."

"And how long has it been since you figured all this out?" Mal asked as she placed her head in her hand.

"Practically since the moment I met her. One look and I had my suspicions and finding out you and Mom dated back then pretty much confirmed it."

"If you knew that then why did you seem surprised that I said it wasn't Robyn that got found the beans?"

"You said it was someone unexpected," Henry shrugged again, "I figured you guys already knew that Lily was Mom's kid but just had your own reasons for not telling me."

"Henry. I would never have kept something like this from you." Regina squeezed her son's hand as she talked. "We only realized all of this yesterday morning."

"Oh, so that's why you were acting so weird," the boy said with a relieved smile. He was glad that it wasn't anything more serious that had his mother acting funny the previous day.

Regina and the others smiled, "Yes, Henry. That's why I was 'acting so weird,' as you so delightfully put it."She smirked before looking at her son lovingly, "Thank you for being so understanding about all of this. I was worried you wouldn't take this news well."

"Why wouldn't I? Lily's awesome and like I said, I already figured it out so I already kinda think of her as my big sister."

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that Henry," Regina said with unshed tears in her eyes.

"I as well," Mal smiled at the boy and his brunette mother. "Thank you for being so understanding about all of this."

"Of course. But what about Lily? Does she know yet?"

Emma and Mal looked up to see Regina's face fall once again.

"I'm guessing that's a 'yes'?" Henry said solemnly after seeing his brunette mother's face.

"Yeah, kid. Your mom told her last night," Emma looked over to see Mal wrapping her arm around Regina's waist for comfort. "Lily was a little shocked, to say the least."

"She left," Regina's voice cracked as she spoke.

"She just needed some time to process everything Angel. Just like I told you last night. She'll be back sometime today to talk to you both again. You just need to try and stay calm and patient."

"I know, I know. It's just...it's I can't help but worry about what will happen if she decides she doesn't want me in her life."

"You are already in her life Regina," Mal moved a strand of Regina's hair from her face. "Things may change some between the two of you, but it will be for the better."

"I hope your right."

"Mom," Henry waited until his mother looked up at him. "Lily's is a grown, intelligent woman. She's not some dumb ten-year-old who was blinded by a storybook."

"Henry..."

"No, Mom. Let me finish. I took one look at that page in the book and...it was like every single thing you had ever done for me was forgotten. I can't tell you guys how many times over these past few years that I've wondered how I could have been so stupid. I forgot about all the times you would let me sleep with you when I had a nightmare, the times you fell asleep on the floor of my room when I was sick because you were too worried to leave me alone, or the times you used to play games with me when you got home from work no matter how tired you were because you knew it made me happy. You were the best Mom I could've ever asked for. But for those two horrible years, I was not the son you deserved to have and I regret it every day. Lily's smarter than I was back then. She knows how amazing you are as a friend, and she knows that despite anything you've ever done in the past, that you're one of the best mom's in the world. I know, because I told her," he said that last part with a small smile.

Regina had tears running down her cheeks as she listened to her son and her lovers were struggling to hold their own tears back.

Henry walked around the table and his mother stood up. They both hugged each other with Regina still crying silent tears into her son's neck. Emma reached for Mal's hand as they let the other two have their moment.

Finally, Regina spoke, "Thank you, Henry. I know that I made some mistakes during those two years as well, but I never stopped loving my little prince."

"I didn't stop loving you either, Mom. I was just too caught up in the sense of magic and adventure to realize it. You're my mom and I will always be thankful for you. Lily may be a little shocked right now, but it won't be long before she comes around. She knows how good of a parent you are, I promise."

Henry kissed his mother's cheek as she smiled thankfully at him.

"What would I do without you?" Regina ran her hand through his slightly wild hair.

"You'd probably be a heck of a lot more bored and have like five cats that you would mother instead." He smiled as he heard all of his mothers laugh.

"Your probably right," Regina patted his shoulder. "Now let's all finish our breakfasts. And Henry? Don't let me ever hear you calling yourself dumb again. Sometimes I think you're the smartest person in this town."

Henry smiled sheepishly as Emma and Mal agreed.

"You feeling better now, Gina?" Emma asked as both Regina and Henry sat back down. She leaned over a gave Henry a quick kiss on his temple to thank him for being there for his mother.

"Yes, Baby. Now if I can just need to wait out the day. Lily probably won't come over until after her work shift."

"You won't be the only one anxiously waiting, Poppet," Mal gave a sad smile, thinking back to the how her daughter wanted to leave town soon.

"Is there more to this story that I'm missing?" Henry asked.

Mal gave a silent sigh, "Lily's leaving."

"No, she's not, Mal," Emma said sternly, yet gently. "Look, I know how you might feel like Lily's leaving you, especially since you guys haven't been together all that long. But she's not. She just wants to spend a couple of semesters at college. She'll be back during her breaks and on some weekends." She reached across the table and grabbed the dragon's hand, "She's not leaving you, Beautiful. She's not leaving any of us."

Mal was sat silently yet Henry spoke up.

"Lily's gonna go to college? That's cool. What does she want to do?"

Emma opened her mouth but quickly closed it. Instead, she leaned over and whispered the answer in her son's ear.

"That's awesome!" Henry said with a huge grin.

"What?" Regina said as both she and Mal looked at the other two. "What does she want to do? Tell us."

"I could tell you...but I won't," she held her hand up when it looked like they were gonna protest. "You both are dreading talking to Lily today because you're scared that she's gonna leave forever and I get that. But that's not what's gonna happen. Not knowing why she wants to go to college may give you guys some more motivation to talk to her and to listen to why she wants to do this."

Mal sat back in her seat, "Until, now...I didn't even think about that. About her goal in all this, I mean. I've been so worried about saying goodbye to her that I forgot to ask her why she wanted all of this."

Regina and Emma both squeezed her hands and then the brunette spoke up, "Perhaps Emma's right. We both need to talk to her with level heads and going in there sad and worried won't do us any good."

Mal nodded in agreement.

"So does that mean I can text Lily and ask her what time she's free to come over?"

"Yes, Kitten," Mal and Regina both gave a firm nod.

Emma reached for her phone as the rest of her family resumed eating their breakfast. A minute later her phone dinged.

"Okay, Regina was right. She says she can come by after her shift. You guys okay with that?"

The mayor bit her lip, "I'd rather get it over with sooner, but I don't want to inconvenience her."

"Agreed," the dragon said, "Tell her that is fine with the two of us."

The sheriff nodded as she typed out the text.

Henry, in typical teenage boy fashion, finished his plate by the time his mother put down her phone.

"I'm going upstairs to work on some stuff before I head out with Nick." He walked around the table and leaned down to place his arms around Mal and Regina, "Everything's gonna be fine. Lily loves both of you and the rest of our family. She won't leave for good and even if she did we'd be after her so fast she wouldn't even remember ever crossing that orange line."

Mal and his mother smiled and quickly hugged him.

"Thank you, Henry," Mal said as she pulled away yet Regina held on a few seconds longer.

"It's true," he smirked. "I'll probably still be out by the time she gets here but if you need me just text. And," he turned to Emma, "tell her I'll be the first one through the door." With a wink, he turned and went up to his room.

"I don't suppose we get any hint as to what that last comment meant?" Mal asked as she turned back to the other blonde.

"Well," Emma looked between her two lovers, "I suppose one tiny hint won't hurt." She paused as she said both of them straightened up to listen attentively, then she smirked, "The hint is...you'll find out this evening."

She giggled lightly as they both groaned.

Regina turned to the dragon, "We should have known better than to fall for that."

"It proves just how distraught we are right now, Poppet."

Emma smiled as she reached for their hands, "Okay, I'll give you a real hint. What Lily wants to do is something that she has wanted to do for a while and something that you will be proud of her for."

The sheriff got up and went to stand exactly where her son had been, "Trust me when I say that Lily will show up today and that neither of you will get your hearts broken." She kissed each of them softly, "We're a family and we will always be together."

"Thank you, Kitten," Mal said gently as she leaned her head against Emma's chest.

"I'm still worried, I can't help but to be," Regina held onto both of the blondes so that they were essentially in a group hug. "But I promise to do my best to handle all this, as long as I don't have to do it alone."

At her small smile both her lovers kissed her cheeks. "Never," they both whispered at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm asking for small prompts to keep this series going after this story wraps up. Please comment any suggestions you have


	8. Chapter 8

Regina sighed for what had to have been the hundredth time that day. She had only been at work for four hours and it had already felt like an eternity. Her knee wouldn't stop bouncing underneath her desk and she scolded herself when she noticed she was cracking her knuckles, a habit that she had broken out of years ago.

With one final sigh, she tossed her pen to the side and grabbed her phone and clicked on the music app. She needed something to take her mind off things.

The brunette leaned back and rested her head on the back of her chair and closed her eyes to try and concentrate on the music instead of her thoughts.

After the first song, however, her peace was interrupted by the sound of her ringtone. She grunted at first, but once she saw who was calling she smiled and answered.

"Hey, Zelena."

"Hey, Emma texted me this morning and said something has come up with you and Mal. Everything okay Sis?"

Regina smiled softly, grateful that Emma thought to talk to her sister. There had been so many doubts and worries going through her mind that she had completely forgotten to tell Zelena that she had a niece.

She sat back and sighed, "I'm not even sure where to begin."

"Try the beginning. I'm sure whatever it is we can get through it."

"You remember how Mal and I were seeing each other in the forest all those years ago?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we found out the other day that..."

"That what Regina?"

"I...I have a daughter, Zelena. Lily's mine," Regina said in a small voice.

She heard her sister let out a small gasp, "Really? Are you sure?"

"She broke one of my blood magic spells. And also, according to Henry, it should've been obvious from the start."

Zelena laughed, "Of course he thought that. Sometimes that son of yours is just too smart."

"Yeah..."

The redhead instantly frowned and the sadness in her little sister's voice. "What's wrong, Regina? You're an incredible mother. You should be happy to have that amazing girl as your daughter."

"I am. I am happy. It's just...she walked out. She...she left right after I told her that I'm her mother," the mayor couldn't the way her voice cracked.

Zelena looked around. She was only supposed to be on a short break at work, but her sister was more important.

"Puff me to you."

"What?"

"I'm not about to leave you alone right now and your magic is much faster than my car."

"Zelena you don't have to..."

"Regina," Zelena said simply.

A moment later the redhead found herself appearing in her sister's office in a puff of purple smoke.

Regina instantly stood up and let out a breath as she felt her sister's arms wrap around her. She hid her face in Zelena's neck and sniffed as a single tear ran down.

"Oh, Regina," Zelena ran one hand up and down her little sister's back while the other one cupped the back of her head. "It's all going to be okay."

"I know. I know that's what everyone keeps telling me. Emma even told me that Lily said herself that she doesn't hate me, but...but what if when it all sinks in for her? How will she feel about me being her parent?"

Zelena led her sister over to the couch. She sat them both down so that Regina's head was still on her shoulder. "She'll probably feel the same way she did before."

Regina reached up to wipe her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Lily was a teenager when she found out Mal was her mom right? I can only imagine how she initially felt about that. I mean, we all know how wrong Disney got it, but I'm sure she was familiar with Maleficent: the evil, magic, fairy, dragon person," she smirked as she described Disney's take on her best friend. "She was probably just as freaked out then as she was when she found out about you. She was a lonely kid who always felt like she made the worst decisions. I would think learning who her mother was wasn't too thrilling. I..."

Regina looked up at her sister when the redhead trailed off. Zelena looked very deep in thought. "Sis?"

"I felt the same way. When I first learned about who my mother was...I was scared. Knowing that the woman who ripped out peoples hearts to either kill or control them...the thought of that evil running through my veins. It honestly scared the crap out of me at first. Part of me thinks that's why I turned my focus towards you. Jealousy was easier to deal with than fear." Zelena kissed her sister's hair to show that there was no trace of jealousy any longer. She smiled when she felt Regina hug her tighter.

"I bet Lily felt the same way I did," Zelena continued, "that she was even more damaged than she already thought she was. Eventually though, as she thought more about it she realized that her mom didn't make her more broken, it made her stronger because she finally learned who she was and where she came from."

"I never thought of it like that," Regina whispered as mind played over what her sister had just said.

"Well, you should have, cuz she's exactly right."

They both jerked around to see Lily standing in the doorway still wearing her waitress 'uniform.' It had taken her weeks to convince Granny into lettering her wear a white dress shirt and a nice pair of jeans instead of the skirts the other waitresses wore.

"Lily," Regina said softly as she stood up from the couch. "What...what are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming by until this afternoon."

"Yeah well, that was before Emma texted me and asked if I was free to come to talk to you during my break."

"Seems like our little sheriff has been playing hero again," Zelena smirked as she stood up and leaned over to kiss her sister's cheek. "I'll leave you two alone to talk. I need to get back to work anyway."

She walked over to Lily and gave her a small hug, "I know this is a bit early to be saying this, or late depending on how you look at it," she said with a smile, "but welcome to the family Lily."

Lily returned the hug and the smile as she nodded, "Thanks Zelena."

With one last smile to her niece, the redhead turned to Regina, "Do you think you could...?" she asked while waving her hand in the air.

"Of course. I call you later Zelena. Thank you." With that Regina waved her hand and her sister vanished in a puff of purple smoke.

Regina turned to the other brunette, "So Emma texted you, what did she say?" she asked looking a bit nervous.

"Just that you and Mom were both freaking out after last night. Especially you," Lily walked over and put her arms around the older woman. "I don't hate you, Regina. I promise you I don't."

Despite everyone telling her the same thing, it did not equate to hearing it from Lily's own mouth. Once she did she let out a relieved breath and wrapped her arms around Lily.

It was then that she realized that this was her first time holding her daughter. She took a moment to place one hand behind Lily's head and the other rubbed the other woman's back. She wasn't aware when tears started leaking down her face again, but this time out of joy instead of fear.

Lily allowed Regina to hold onto her for a few minutes. The two of simply stood in silence with their arms around each other. Finally, the younger woman pulled back and smiled softly, "I take it you have a few minutes to talk?"

"Of course," Regina wiped her eyes and led Lily over to the couch she and Zelena were at. The two of them turned to face each other before the mayor spoke, "I suppose I need to apologize about how I sprung all this on you so suddenly last night. I still don't know what caused me to blurt it out like that."

"Don't worry about that, it's fine. Shocking as hell, but it's okay. I, um...I have a few questions if you don't mind?"

"You can ask me anything, darling."

"Did you really not have any idea about me? If you and Mom had true love then shouldn't you have...I don't know...felt it?"

Regina sat back a bit and sighed, "I probably should have, but at that time...I couldn't focus on anything else but my own selfish ways. When Mal and I first got together I could focus on little else but her. However, I was still living with the king and having to put up with the charade of being a loving wife and stepmother. Every day that passed I grew more and more determined to take that revenge. So over time I foolishly allowed myself to drift away from your mother. Looking back now, by the time you must have been conceived I only saw her about once every couple of months. I have no one to blame but myself for how I treated her during that time. If I had stayed with her then I could've protected both of you from the Charmings."

Lily could see the guilt wash over the woman's face and so she reached out for Regina's hand. "I'm not gonna lie, my childhood sucked and I know Mom was crushed by everything that happened," she paused when she saw Regina look down to her knees. Lily squeezed the hand she was holding harder and gave a soft smile when the other brunette looked at her. "But if all that hadn't happened I wouldn't be the person I am today. Everything I went through back then made me the person I am. I'm far from perfect but I like who I turned out to be. I still think about what my life would have been like if I had gotten to grow up with my Mom...and now with you, but all things considered, I'm happy where my life is right now and I wouldn't want to change it."

Regina gave a small smile and nodded slightly. Despite wishing to know her daughter when she was younger, she was very proud of the woman Lily had grown up to be.

"Um," Lily looked down and licked her lips, she seemed nervous to ask her next question. "How, um, how did you feel when Emma told you that she figured it out that I'm your kid?"

"Astonished, I suppose would be the best word to describe it. You saw for yourself just how speechless was," she said with a smirk.

Lily's brow scrunched for a moment before realization came over her face, "When I came up to get you guys for breakfast." She paused as Regina nodded, "I suppose I should have known that's what had you looking like you had just seen a miracle or something."

"Perhaps because to me that's what it was. Lily, do you know why I chose to adopt Henry rather than try for one of my own?"

The younger woman shook her head.

"Back when I was the queen, my mother came back into my life. She tried to use all her old, manipulative tricks, to make me fall in love with a stranger who was almost as dark as her. She wanted me to produce an heir so that she could ruin their life just as she had mine. So I poisoned myself. I drank a potion that left me unable to get pregnant. She thought that I wouldn't do it. That I was too weak to do something so dramatic. For that one moment, seeing the look on her face when I took that potion made it worth it. I truly foiled one of her carefully crafted plots. However, as soon as Mother left, the weight of what I had done crashed over me. I felt so sick that I could have thrown up, not because of the magic but just because of the thought that I would never have a child. I suppose I thought that a child would have been my only shot at having someone to love and love me back completely. It never occurred to me that it was possible for me to still have a child by another woman. I knew such things have happened to others, but like we just established, I never would have thought such a thing could happen to me."

Regina reached out and hovered over her hand above Lily's, silently asked permission to hold her daughter's hand. She was very pleased when Lily turned her hand up and accepted her hand.

"Henry was the reason that I changed who I was. He's the reason I'm able to have a relationship with Emma and your mother now. I love him more than I ever thought possible and now that same love is extended to you."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely. During these last few years, my life has become so incredible. I have the most amazing family I could ever ask for and I consider all of them a true blessing. You are no different Lily. I know it may take time before we both become accustomed to being mother and daughter, but I love you Lily and I'm looking very forward to getting to know my daughter."

"I guess that takes care of my last question," Lily said with a small smile.

"And that was?"

"Do you want to have a relationship with me like I do with my mom? Like you do with Henry?"

"I would love nothing more. I just told you how much Henry changed my life for the better. I can only imagine how incredible my life could be with a daughter in it as well."

"So you do want me then?"

"Yes," Regina spoke with stern seriousness as she squeezed her daughter's hand tighter. "Lily you're an amazing person. You're intelligent, loving, determined, and conscious of those around you. I already have so much respect for you Lily and I have loved you as a friend for a while. And to be perfectly honest, I feel like I already love you as a daughter. I know it's probably much too soon to say that..."

"No, it's not," Lily interrupted with a small smile, "It just means that Henry was right. You are one of the best moms in the world. So," she paused to give a shy shrug, "I guess I'm ready to be your daughter if you're ready to be my mom." She grinned went Regina gave her a watery smile and she leaned forward to hug the older woman.

"I'm very ready," Regina said as she once again soaked up the moment. It felt like when Henry finally allowed her to hug him after those bad couple years. Like she was so relieved to hold her that she did not want to ever let go.

"Um," Lily spoke softly, "is it okay if I just keep calling you 'Regina?' At least for now?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Whatever you're comfortable with is fine with me," Regina couldn't hold keep the waver of true relief out of her voice. I didn't matter that Lily didn't want to call her 'Mom' it only mattered that she was perfectly fine accepting of the fact that she was Regina's daughter. And with that knowledge and the feeling of the girl still in her arms every single worry and fear that had passed through her mind in the past couple days finally alleviated.

"You're crying aren't you?" Lily said teasingly yet still lovingly.

Regina let out a chuckle as she realized that there were indeed tears of relief running down her cheeks. "I'm...I'm just happy to get to hold you," she admitted in a whisper.

"Yeah, me too," Lily smiled.

Eventually, the younger woman pulled back, "I got to get back to work, but I'll still come over tonight. Around 7:00 for dinner?"

Regina desperately wanted her to stay but knew that the day still had to go on. "Yes, that would be fine. Anything special you want?"

"Nah, just whatever you guys want. Your cooking is good no matter what so with you I'm not too picky."

"Very well," Regina said with a laugh as she and Lily both stood up and hugged each again but only briefly. "I'll see you tonight darling. But, before you go could you tell me what your plan is for when you get your degree?"

"Nice try," she said with a smirk. "Emma told me how you and Mom tried to drag it out of her this morning. You guys didn't let me explain it yesterday so now you can both wait until tonight."

Regina let out a small grown, "I suppose I deserve that, but you can't blame me for trying."

"I don't, and I promise I'll tell you and Mom later."

"Fine, I suppose I can wait a few more hours."

Lily laughed when her mother gave a pout to rival Emma's, undoubtedly a trait she picked up from her younger lover. "I'll text you as soon as I get off work."

"Okay, I'll see you tonight Lily."

The younger woman nodded and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door she turned to see her mother had turned to go back to her desk, "Regina?" she waited until the mayor looked back at her, "I love you," she said softly.

Regina's grin rivaled a child's on Christmas morning, "I love you too sweetie. Be safe."

With a nod, Lily finally left her mother's office.

Regina was still grinning when she sat back down in her chair. Instantly her hand went to grab her phone and she sent a quick message to Emma.

"Thank you, Baby," followed by a few red hearts.

A moment later her phone went off, leading her to believe the sheriff was probably playing on her phone rather than doing paperwork, yet she was willing to let it slide just this once.

"You're welcome, Angel. Love you."

Regina sighed happily before going back to work with a smile still on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

Maleficent was sitting in her office at the Storybrooke accounting firm, staring at a text that had just appeared on her phone.

"Hey, Mom. I just wanted you to know that Regina and I are good. I'm still coming over tonight but I didn't want you worrying any more than I know you already are :) Love you."

That text was followed by a similar one from Regina. She wanted desperately to call the mayor and ask exactly what had happened between them. However, before she could there was a knock on her office door and her best friend stepped in.

"Zelena? What are you..."

"Come on," the redhead said before she could finish, "We're both taking the afternoon off."

"We are?"

"Yes, I already asked my boss to let me go early today and since you're the boss around here I don't see any issue so let's go!"

"And why are we doing this exactly?"

"To take your mind off things."

"So I take it you know about your niece?"

Zelena smiled softly as she nodded and sat on the edge of Mal's desk. "Emma told me something was up so I called Regina and I had her poof me to her to talk. She told me the good news. Then Lily came in and I called Emma after I left to get the whole story. Please tell me that you do realize that Lily is not leaving you."

Mal stayed quiet and looked away.

"Come on, Mal. You know that girl loves you. She wouldn't leave you, but she also..."

"She also has to live her life. Yes, Zelena I know. What I don't know is why none of you can understand why I still don't like it! I missed out on so much of her life already I don't want to miss out on a moment more. I just...I..." she had to stop talking when her voice cracked.

"Hey, it's okay." Zelena was quick to stand only to lean down and hug her friend. "Shhh, it's okay Mal," she whispered in her ear as a few small tears came down Mal's cheeks. After a few moments, she leaned back to look at the blonde's face. "Let me ask you something. Remember when Regina and I took that weekend getaway?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Did you ever talk to me or Regina during that weekend?"

"Of course, Emma and I called you every day, so did Belle."

"Exactly," Zelena stood back up but kept her hand on her friend's shoulder. "I know that one weekend isn't the same as a few months at a time, but just because Lily won't be living in the same town anymore, doesn't mean that you won't be able to see and talk to her. Hell, she already calls you on the days where you're both too busy to visit each other. What makes you think that will change?"

Mal sighed. Logically, she knew that her best friend was right and that she could indeed talk to her daughter nearly as much as she was currently, yet that still did not alleviate one of her two biggest fears.

"What if she stays there?"

The blonde's voice was so small that Zelena would have missed it if she had not been right next to her. "Is that what you're worried about? Her not wanting to come back?"

"It's not all I'm worried about, but yes that's part of it."

Zelena leaned back against her friend's desk and laughed.

Mal looked up at her with a scrunched face, "What the hell do you think is so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that until today I never realized just how much Lily and I had in common."

Before the dragon could ask anything further, the redhead continued. "There are some things that I would love to go back to Oz for. There are times when I miss the forest that I used to explore as a child or wonder if the Emerald City looks the same as when I left. I've actually been thinking about asking Regina for some of the magic portal beans to go there for a couple of days. Maybe show Belle and the kids where I grew up. But I can promise you one thing. If or when that day ever comes, I will come back to Storybrooke."

Zelena found herself staring out of the window of Mal's office, almost lost in her thoughts. "As much as I'm curious about how it is now, Oz is filled with horrible reminders of my past. Everything that put me on the road to being the Wicked Witch. My father's verbal, and at times physical, abuse, the bullying from the other children, my witch sisters who made me feel like I was second best."

She looked back at the blonde who had not taken her eyes off her friend, "Lily would come back to Storybrooke Mal, she would come back to you. For the same reason that I would come back here and the same reason that Emma never left. Storybrooke is our home, it's where we found our family, and we can't imagine going back out to a world where we were the outcasts again. At least, not for good."

"I never...I never thought of that," Mal's voice was quiet again as her eyes drifted down to her lap. She had tried not to think too much about her daughter's past since that day she had talked to Emma about it nearly a year prior. Yet, it made sense to think Lily would not want to go back to that world permanently. However, that still did not take away her largest fear about Lily going away, but she wasn't ready to voice that quite yet.

Zelena saw the conflicted look on the dragon's face and moved to put her hand over Mal's. "Look in a few short hours you, Regina, and Lily will all be sitting down and talking about all of this. Without any major bombshells being dropped or tempers going up...hopefully," she grinned when she saw her friend smirk at that last part. "Then all your questions will be answered and the three of you can wake up tomorrow with more confidence than you did today."

"Since when, did you get so wise?" Mal asked with the smirk still on her face.

The redhead shrugged, "I guess that's just another gift this place has given to me. That and the fact that I'm sleeping with the town librarian."

Mal laughed for the first time since the nightmare she had a couple of nights prior, "Perhaps Belle is rubbing off on you in the right ways."

"Oh, you have no idea how right you are," Zelena said with a wink.

"Yet, you are still as wicked as ever," Mal said with a playful push to the former witch.

"Speaking of Belle, you and I are going to spend the rest of the day with her, Roland, and Robyn at the park. Luckily, today is a half-day of school for Roland so Belle was already planning on taking the afternoon off. I called and told her that after they pick up Robyn from daycare to meet up with us at the park. The three of them should already be on their way there by now. I figured the best way to distract you from your kid was with both of mine."

Mal smiled, "I don't know if it's even possible for me to be completely distracted from this, however," she spoke as she stood up and reached for her purse, "I can't think of a better way to spend the afternoon than with those two angels."

"Well then, come on already." Zelena grabbed the dragon's hand and playfully dragged out of the office and then out of the building.

The two walked in comfortable silence to the park. Just as they were about to step on the grass, Mal turned to Zelena.

"Thank you for doing this, Zelena."

"Belle and I will always be here for you Mal." The redhead said as she reached to hug the blonde, "You're family."

Before Mal could respond she heard her name being called and turned just in time to bend down to catch the little boy who was running straight into her arms, followed closely by his little sister.

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A few hours later Maleficent found herself leaving the park with a smile on her face. Roland and Robyn never failed to make her laugh. Did her time with them take her mind completely off Lily? No. But was playing with them and talking to Zelena and Belle a great alternative to wallowing in her office all afternoon? Absolutely.

She declined Belle's offer for them to drive her home. She wanted a few moments alone before heading home to face her daughter. The dragon was still beyond grateful that Lily and Regina had bonded some earlier that day, however, that did not mean she still wasn't nervous about the inevitable talk with her daughter.

Despite her feeling much better after her talk with Zelena, there was still that one fear that would not leave her mind.

It wasn't long before she found herself outside the mansion on Mifflin Street. Regina's car was parked outside so she knew her lover was home and therefore the door was already unlocked.

As she walked in she took a deep breath at the delightful smell the brunette's cooking. She smiled and went into the kitchen and saw Regina standing over the stove.

"You're home early Poppet," she said as she stepped up and kissed her lightly.

"I decided to take the last few hours off. I got more work done after Lily left but I still couldn't concentrate like I usually could. Besides, it gave me time to start on dinner before you all got home. Good thing too since Lily texted me as soon as I got in, saying she was almost done with her shift." Regina said as she turned from stirring the stew and wrapped Mal in a small embrace. "How about you? You're back a little earlier as well."

"I took the afternoon off. Or rather your sister forced me to. She came and took me to the park. I've spent the last few hours hearing about how that new intern is working out at the library and playing with our beautiful niece and nephew on the playground."

Regina smiled, "Good. You need a few stress free hours of the day."

"That's what I've been trying to get both of you to do since this whole thing started," Emma stated as she walked in after just arriving home. "Hopefully by the end of the night, you will both destress for a while," she said with a smirk as she went to kiss her lovers.

"Hopefully," Mal agreed as she returned the kiss.

Emma smiled and then turned to Regina. Just as their lips touched, she found herself wrapped in the brunette's arms.

Regina kept her arms where they were when the kiss ended. "Thank you, Baby."

"For what?"

"For speaking with Lily and Zelena. My sister helped to ground me a little more, but my talk with Lily finally allowed me to breathe normally since this whole mess started."

Emma's eyes lit up as she leaned in to kiss Regina once more. "You're very welcome Angel. She told me she wanted to talk with both of you but had to get back to the diner. That's when Zelena called me. And since I heard something about a playground when I came in, I assume you spent the afternoon being tugged around the park, Beautiful?"

Mal laughed, "Yes, and Roland told me to tell you that he is overdue for another piggyback ride."

"I'll have to remember that this weekend."

Mal smiled before turning to Regina again to ask the question that's been on her mind since receiving those text messages earlier that day. "Poppet? I know that it's none of my business but, could I ask what you and Lily talked about?"

Regina had turned back from turning the stove on low heat to look at the dragon. "Mal that _is _your business to ask," she smiled reassuringly before continuing. "She just asked more about our relationship back when she was conceived and about how I wanted her's and my relationship to be like in the future. I told her the truth and apologized for how I foolishly treated her mother back then. And I said that I wanted to learn more about her and have a chance at being a parent to her. Or as much as I can at this point in her life, anyway."

"I'm glad the two of you were able to talk, Regina. I know that was the part that was the heaviest on your mind," she leaned over to kiss the brunette's forehead.

"What about you Mal?" Emma asked softly. "Are you feeling any better than you were this morning?"

"A little, Kitten. I spoke with Zelena before we went to the park. She helped me to see that not all my fears were that rational. She also said something about having a lot in common with her niece. I suppose you know what that means Poppet?"

"Yeah, turns out some of her own life experiences aren't all that different than Lily's. But, what do you mean by most of your fears, my cariño? What else is troubling you?"

Mal's eyes drifted downwards, "I'd rather not talk about it right now." When it looked like both her lovers were about to pry a little more she held up her hands. "I'm okay. Right now I'm okay. But I know that later on tonight I'll have to talk about all of this so I'd rather not have to have the conversation twice."

Her lovers gave her soft smiles, completely understanding.

"Well, Henry texted me before I left the station. He'll be back home before Lily gets here. How can we help in the meantime Angel?" Emma asked.

Regina gave them both their dinner prepping tasks. Now all they had to do was wait for Lily.


	10. Chapter 10

When Henry got home his brunette mother immediately instructed him to set the table before his sister got there. Just as he left the kitchen with the plates in hand the doorbell rang.

Both Regina and Mal froze at the sound of their daughter's arrival. They stood in the kitchen and looked toward the entrance to the room.

Emma looked at them and smirked, "You know, even with the magic there's still a little bit movement involved in answering a door."

Both of them unfroze and sent an annoyed glare at their youngest lover. Yet, they both quietly followed Emma who had walked out of the room giggling.

The sheriff got to door first as her lovers stood on top of the steps by the entrance. She opened the door, "Hey Lily."

"Hey," the brunette greeted her friend with a small hug before moving past her to blonde mother to hug and kiss her cheek, "Hey Mom."

"Hello, darling," Mal returned the affection before Lily turned to do the same to the brunette.

"We're glad you're here Lily. I promise much less dramatics tonight," Regina said as she pulled away from the hug.

Lily laughed, "It's fine, Regina. Is Henry here?"

"Yep, he is," Henry said as he walked up to stand behind his mom.

"I take it you've already been told everything?"

"Yeah, and let me just say, Ma told me what you're planning on doing with the degree and I can't wait! Also, it's killing Mom and Mal not knowing so make sure that you save that little bit of information for as long as you can."

Lily and Emma laughed while Regina and Maleficent gave Henry the same glare they had given Emma in the kitchen.

"You got it!" Lily said with a large smile, "Need any help with dinner?"

"Wanna help me finish setting the table?"

Lily nodded and followed him into the dining room.

Maleficent turned to Emma, "Is it really that entertaining to watch us struggle with curiosity?"

"Personally? I think it's cute." Emma laughed as she repeated what Mal had told her when the dragon kept her from her Wonder Woman stash in the basement.

Regina started shaking with laughter but put her hand over her mouth to keep the sound in. That did nothing to help though when Mal looked over at her with yet another glare. She couldn't hold it in after that, she was sure her children could hear her laughter in the other room.

"You have to admit, my cariño, you had that coming," Regina spoke through her giggles.

Maleficent shook her head, yet had a slight blush. "Can we please just go finish up with dinner now?"

That just made her lovers laugh more. Each leaned over to kiss a pink-tinted cheek.

"Sure Beautiful. The sooner we get that done the sooner you both get your answers. However, I must say, I'm in no hurry for you to get rid of that adorable blush on your face."

"We could probably find a way to keep it there a little longer, Baby," Regina said right before she gave Mal a small swat on her ass.

Sure enough, the dragon's cheeks became a bit brighter and her mouth opened in shock, "You will both be paying for this tonight."

"We might just hold you to that," Emma said with a wink only to let out a small squeal when Mal swatted her and then turned to do the same to Regina.

The sheriff and the mayor both laughed as they ran away to the kitchen with the dragon hot on their heels.

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Dinner was much more pleasant and normal than Lily expected. She had been worried that the parent's, especially Mal's, worry would make the air awkward. She was pleasantly surprised that the five of them managed to have a normal dinner with simple and casual conversation. Her mom was a bit quieter than she would usually be but other than that Lily was having a great, quiet night in with her family.

After dinner, Lily insisted on helping Henry, it was his turn, with the cleanup. The two of them stayed in the kitchen quietly talking about Lily's plan for her future shop so that Mal and Regina wouldn't overhear.

Meanwhile, the others went into the study where Regina poured them all a small glass of her cider. They all sat closely together on the couch with the dragon in the middle.

"Okay," Emma spoke after taking a sip of her drink, "so I know you guys were kinda going back and forth with all this earlier so I'm gonna ask...Do you two want me in here with you when you're talking to Lily?"

The two shared a quick look and gave a small nod before the mayor spoke, "Actually, Baby, I think Maleficent and I need to do this alone."

Mal nodded in agreement, "We appreciate you asking Emma, but Regina's right. We need to talk to Lily ourselves."

"Alright then, just know I'll be downstairs in the Wonder Shrine if either of you needs me," she said with a soft smile.

Both other women smiled, not only at the ridiculous name that Emma had given to their basement but also at how supportive she was being throughout all this.

"Thank you, Kitten."

"No problem, Beautiful." Emma leaned over to kiss the dragon softly before doing the same to Regina.

It was only a few seconds later that they heard Henry and Lily coming back from the kitchen. The sheriff finished off her drink before getting up to meet them at the doorway.

"Hey kid, how about heading to the basement so I can get my high score back from you in Super Smash Bro?"

"You can try, but we both know it's a lost cause," he said with a smirk.

"We'll see about that you little wise..."

"Emma!" Regina interrupted before the blonde could finish.

Mother and son both laughed before walking out of the room and heading downstairs.

"I guess that's our cue to start talking huh?" Lily asked as she stepped further into the room to pour her own drink before going to sit in the chair across from her mothers.

"I suppose so," Mal said as she took a small sip of her drink. She gave a small smile to Regina when she felt her squeeze her forearm in comfort. She was still really nervous about this conversation.

"Well, first off," Lily started, "I know Regina and I already talked but I wanted to say that I'm sorry for running out of here like the other night. I should have stayed to talk."

"No Lily, you don't need to apologize for that," Regina said as she leaned forward slightly. "You had every right to leave. I overwhelmed you in an already stressful situation. Neither of us blames you for your reaction."

"And we're all here talking now so that's all that matters," Mal said with a smile.

"Thanks. So I guess I need to tell you both more about my plans." She took a sip of her drink as she noticed Mal tense a little again.

"You said you wanted to go to college," the mayor spoke," and as you know Emma has been completely unhelpful in feeling us in on the details."

Lily grinned, "Yeah, but before I say anything I just want to make it clear that I'm not leaving town for good. Storybrooke is my home now and it's where I want to stay for the rest of my life. I'm want to have this experience, but it will only be for a year or so at the most. I plan on trying to get through school as quickly as possible by taking some online classes during the summer and winter breaks."

"Sounds like you got it all planned out rather well," Regina said while she wrapped an arm around Mal's shoulders. She could tell her lover was still feeling very uneasy despite the constant reassurance.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time now. And I already submitted my application to Boston. I should be hearing back from them pretty soon."

"I assume you know what you want to study then?" the brunette sat forward slightly, as did Mal. They had been curious since their conversation with Emma.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try for a business degree," Lily said with a slight smile.

"Business? That's amazing Lily!" Regina said with pride.

"What kind of business you want to go into darling?" Mal finally spoke up. Her curiosity and pride momentarily winning over her nervousness.

"I want to open my own shop. My own comic shop."

"That's why Henry seemed so excited when Emma let him in on the secret," Mal smirked.

Regina giggled, "He's always complaining about how small the selection at the drug store is."

"That's what I said!" Lily smiled, "I'm thinking it could actually double as a teen hangout spot. You know just like a safe place where they can just chill out and be a kid. "

"That would be amazing Lily," Regina smiled. She knew just how important a place like that would mean to her daughter. Both she and Emma had such harsh childhood's on the streets. Starting a business that would also be used as a safe haven for teens would be incredible for her.

Mal smiled as well, yet it wasn't as genuine as her lover's. "Yes darling, I'm sure you will be very successful."

Lily, like always, read her mother expertly. "I can still hear the worry in your voice. You still think I'll lose touch with you guys don't you Mom?"

"No, Lily." The blonde eyes went a bit wide at the thought. "I admit that I did have that fear earlier. From the beginning, I worried that you might want to go back to a normal life as you had prior to coming here. However, your reassurance has helped take that fear away. Zelena also helped me to see how unsound that fear was. I know that you would never leave this town or this family for good darling.

"Then what are you scared of Mom?"

Regina looked worriedly at her lover. Mal took in a deep breath as she closed her eyes, appearing to be preparing herself for what she was about to say. Then something clicked in the brunette's head.

"Does this have to do with the dream you had my cariño?"

Maleficent silently nodded her head.

The younger brunette scrunched her brow, "You talking about the dream you had the other night? You never told me what it was about."

The dragon took a moment to gather herself before speaking, "I...I dreamt that you were in an accident. You were gone before I could say...say goodbye. I tried to shake you awake but there was so much...blood...on my hands."

By the time Mal finished two small tears were running down her face.

"Oh Mom," Lily got out of her seat only to kneel in front of her blonde mother and put her arms around her.

Maleficent turned her face in Lily's shoulder and cried while also enjoying the solid feeling her daughter so close to her.

"I'm here Mom. Nothing happened. Nothing is going to happen. I'm still here," the younger woman murmured into Mal's ear while she used one hand to rub against her back soothingly. Her hand would brush up against Regina's who was doing the same, trying to give the blonde some comfort.

"You...you don't know..." Mal managed to pull away from her daughter's hold while tears were still crawling down her cheeks. "You don't know that. In... in my dream, Emma and Regina found you in your car near the town line. Like you were leaving. Then you told me that you were actually leaving and now the thought of you on that operating table is haunting me. I know it's not logical but I keep thinking that if you leave you..."

"Mom, stop," Lily cut her off. "Just try to calm down for a second, please?"

Regina wrapped her right arm around the dragon's shoulder, pulling her into a small yet comforting embrace. " Take a deep breath Mal. Everything is okay," she said as she laid a kiss on the blonde's forehead and reached with her spare hand to hold Mal's.

Maleficent obeyed and took a few deep breaths before the tears stopped flowing. As soon as she became calmer she could feel her daughter tugging on her other hand.

"You're right," Lily spoke softly as her mother turned to her. "I don't know if something could happen to me when I leave town. But something could just as easily happen to me within the town. I've spent a good chunk of my life learning that you can't let fear hold me back and that if you do live by your fears then you won't get very far. I love you Mom and I understand why you're scared of me leaving, but it's my life and I have to do what I feel is right for me."

Mal softly nodded her head, still feeling worried for Lily. She knew that her daughter was right, that anything could happen to her within the town just as it could outside the town.

The younger woman placed her hand over her mothers already joined hands and looked between the both of them as she continued.

"And I will call both of you every single day. Hell, maybe even multiple times a day. And I'll come back as often as I can. If I can manage to get a good class schedule I could even visit once or twice a month. And as soon as I get that degree I will be back in Storybrooke, where I want to be for the rest of my life."

Both mothers smiled down at their daughter, loving the idea of their family being to together in their town.

"Also," Lily smirked as she raised off her knees and stood up, "just think of how much easier it will be for you both to hide the fact that you're total nerds when you have a connection in the business."

Mal and Regina both laughed out loud as they stood to embrace Lily in a group hug. After a few moments, they pulled away enough that they could look at each other.

"I suppose it will be easier to sneak Poppet's My Little Pony stuff in with a shop so close by."

"Like you're one to talk, with you Wonder Woman obsession, my cariño."

Lily laughed at her parents before turning a bit more serious, "So does this mean that I have your blessing with leaving town for college or are you both still worried."

Mal and Regina shared a look before turning back to their daughter.

"Yes, you go with our blessing darling," Mal said.

"But as for us worrying, that is just part of..." Regina trailed off for a moment to just look at the young woman and to think of how happy she was to say these words to her, "it's just part of being a parent."

"I can live with that," Lily said with a grin.

"Now," Mal spoke up, "how about we go see just how badly your brother is kicking Emma's butt right now?"

"Sounds like a plan," said Lily. "Poor Em probably needs saving by now."

"You go on ahead, we'll be right there," Regina said as she watched her daughter walk out of the room. When Lily was gone she turned to her lover. "Are you okay now, Mal?"

"Well, as you said, I'll always worry...we will always worry. But we can't protect her forever. And I honestly feel so much better now that we finally talked about everything. I think I can go the rest of the night without the urge to cry."

"Same here. Now everything can slow down a little bit and we can focus on enjoying some time with our family before Lily leaves. I'm very much looking forward to getting to know our daughter."

"And I look forward to seeing the two of you start to bond. Perhaps she can introduce you to even more nerd culture."

"She won't be talking me into cosplaying," Regina said with determination.

"I don't know, our daughter can be persuasive."

"It wasn't our daughter that came up with the idea of Emma and I dressing up as Supergirl and Batgirl." Regina leaned in to kiss Mal's cheek that had just tinted pink. "Now let's go join our family."


	11. Chapter 11

*Several Months Later*

Lily's college was having a three day weekend so of course, she had come home to spend it. She had gotten accepted into the school only a few days after her talk with her parents.

She had a little over a month before the semester started. Lily spent as much time as she could just hanging out with her family. Sometimes they were just helping Lily get everything situated for her move to Boston. Emma went with her on a small two-day trip to help her find an apartment to lease for the year. And it took some time but her moms had finally convinced her to let them pay for half of her tuition so that she could have more money for her future shop.

They had a lot of fun too. Lily had gotten her own nerf gun so that she could participate in the dart wars with her younger cousins. And of course, she still took time to game and read comics with Henry and fly with her mom.

But the thing that Lily had recently discovered that she enjoyed doing was cooking with Regina. Lily had asked Regina once to teach her how to make some of her favorite meals since she would be living alone. That was all it took for the two to find something to bond over. Lily had known how to do some things in the kitchen but her brunette mother had shown her how to do so much more and they both loved it.

Regina had tried to get Henry interested in cooking at a young age but he just wasn't as into it. Therefore, Regina was overjoyed when Lily had expressed an interest in learning and showed that she actually enjoyed it. Now, every time Lily was home she helped her brunette mother cook for their family.

On this particular break, however, Lily had something else that she needed to talk to her family about.

"Everybody ready?" Lily asked. As soon as she had gotten back into town she sent a group text telling her entire family to meet her at Granny's.

"Yeah, what's this big news you have for us?" Regina asked excitedly. She and Mal were thrilled when Lily called them saying that she was gonna be home for another break and that she had some news to share with them all when she got into town.

Lily reached into her bag and pulled out a file of paperwork. "As soon as I sign these papers I will be the owner of that empty unit down the street of the pawnshop. I'll have a place for my shop!"

"Thank God!" Zelena stretched her hand out to high five her niece. "About time something new and fun cam to this town."

"Congratulations Lily," Belle said with a smile.

"Why haven't you signed it yet darling?" Mal asked curiously. "You've been talking about buying a place for months?"

"Because I haven't been in it yet to see everything. I've only talked to the real estate agent about it. I thought maybe all of us could go see it together. If you all want to that is"

"Hell yes, we want to see it!" Emma said as she quickly stood up as all the others nodded. "What about you two? Want to go see what could be Lily's new comic shop?"

"YES!" Robyn jumped up excitedly while Roland eagerly nodded his head.

Emma crouched down in front of them as an invitation for Roland to get on her back. The sheriff grunted just a bit, it wouldn't be too much longer before the kid would get too big for this.

Robyn turned to Henry and held up her arms to him. Henry took the hint and kneeled down enough for the toddler to climb on his back.

All the other adults smiled at the sight of mother and son giving dual piggyback rides.

They all get up to leave when Lily turned to the woman behind the counter. "You want to come too, Granny? It won't take long."

The older woman looked around. There was still a small number of customers in the diner but not enough that her waitresses couldn't handle. "Sure, why not?"

With that, the group headed out the door and down the street. It didn't take them long before they were standing in front of the vacant storefront and Lily turned to Emma

"Will I have to worry about spending a night at the station for breaking and entering if I magic the door open?"

Emma and Henry kneeled down to let the kids back on the ground, "Not if I do it." The sheriff smirked as she flicked her hand and the door clicked as it unlocked.

"This place looks about the size of Mom's office," Henry said as they all walked in and looked around.

"Yeah, and there's supposed to be a smaller room back here." Lily walked to the back of the room and opened a door to a room that was smaller than the main room but still big enough for what she needed. "This would be a perfect place to set a small smack area and few game cabinets."

"Food and video games. Sounds like the perfect teen hangout spot to me," Emma said while Henry nodded in agreement.

"Any ideas for the rest of it?" Belle asked.

"Yeah," Lily stepped back into the main room with a growing smile on her face. "I'm thinking I'll put the comics mainly on this side," she gestured to the right side of the room. "Like maybe divide it into four sections, DC and Marvel side by side and then put the stuff from smaller companies next to them and then finally putting in a kid-friendly section on the end."

"Ooh, could you put some beanbag chairs in here Lily?" Roland asked excitedly. "I like sitting on mine at home when I'm reading by myself."

"That's a great idea kiddo," Lily said as she ruffled his curly hair.

Regina grinned at the sight and then spoke to her daughter, "What about the rest of the room darling?"

She walked to the back of the store near the entrance to the other room, "So I want to put the cash register over here along with a display counter for like variant comic covers. And then along this wall", she pointed to the left side of the room, "I can put some larger display cabinets for statues and stuff. Perhaps one on each side of the wall. And then put some shelving and hangers for the smaller stuff like Funko pops and action figures. Finally, in the center of this area, I want to put like a big table for board, strategy, and card games."

Mal walked over and put her arm around Lily's back. "Sounds like you put quite a lot of thought into this," she said with a proud smile.

"Well, I've had a long time to think about it. But," her smiled faltered then, "I still have a few months left before I graduate. I won't really have enough time to fix and clean this place up and still work on class stuff."

"Sweetie, you have an entire family here that can work on the shop for you."

"Yeah," the sheriff spoke up, "We can get it cleaned up by the time you leave to go back to class. As for the other stuff, if you order the stuff we can be here to set it up for you."

"Thanks, but that's a lot of work Emma and you guys already busy as it is."

"Emma's right though Lily," said the mayor. "With all of us pitching in we can get it all set up by the time you get back and then you can take over from there. Mal and I are great at organizing so we can get your display cabinets and shelving set up for you."

Zelena looked at her sister, "Hey I can help with that too! I've gotten a lot better at organizing since working at the jewelry store."

Regina returned her glare and spoke sarcastically, "Yes, and the fact that you were always texting us and Belle asking where you should put what had nothing to do with it."

"Regardless," Belle said, breaking up the sisters bickering, "she can help with the displays and I can help to organize the comics. You just need to tell me if you want them organized by titles, subject matter, or whatever else."

"I can make those beanbag chairs for you if you want," Granny offered. "It would save you a few bucks."

Zelena turned to the older woman, " You know how to sew beanbag chairs?"

"I know how to sew everything," Granny spoke with a proud smirk.

"And Ma and I can set up the stuff in the hangout room. We could even put some of those soundproofing pads on the walls so the video games wouldn't disturb the rest of the customers."

"Yeah," Emma nodded, " Henry and I can hook up all the electronic stuff in the shop too."

"And I can help set up the kids section and helpt with all the cleaning too," Roland was eager at the idea of helping out his big cousin.

"I help too!" All the adults smiled at the nearly four-year-old girl jumping up and down while holding her brother's hand.

"And if we ever need any extra hands then we can ask my mom and dad to help too. Neal really good with cleaning stuff up too as long as you pay him in cookies." Emma smiled.

"Well then, if you guys are all sure you want to help, I guess I have no other excuses." Lily walked over to the nearest wall and held up the paperwork to it. Taking the pen out of her pocket she signed her name on the designated line.

As she turned back her family she had a few small tears in her eyes that she tried to wipe away quickly. However, she wasn't quick enough that her mothers couldn't see them.

"What's wrong darling?" Mal asked while putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Nothing, it's stupid." She looked up to see the rest of the group back on the other side of the room talking more about their volunteered roles. "It's just that I can't believe that this is actually happening. In a few more months I'll have my degree and starting up my dream business. It seems too good to be true."

"Well believe it, Lily," Regina said softly. "You've worked so hard for this."

"She's right. You deserve every bit of this. And we couldn't be more proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you guys and the rest of those nutjobs over there." All three giggled at Lily's joke. "Seriously though, thank you both for sticking by me. I know this past few months have been kind of hectic but I want you to know how much I appreciate the support."

"Of course darling. We'll always stick by you," Mal said as both she and Regina pulled their daughter into a hug. "We love you."

"I love you too, Mom...and Mama."

Regina jerked back when she heard that last word, "Lily?"

"I've been thinking that it's probably time I started calling you that. That is if you're okay with it."

"Of course I am!" Regina had a few tears of her own in her eyes as she embraced her daughter again. "Nothing would make me happier!"

Maleficent stood back and admired the sight of her lover and their daughter. She smiled over her shoulder when she felt Emma come up behind her and leaned back into the sheriff's outstretched arms.

She knew that it wouldn't be long until Lily left again for college and that she would be just as worried as she was the first time she watched her daughter cross the town line. Yet, she was confident that Lily would return, perhaps Henry's infinite belief was rubbing off on her. No matter what happened though, Mal was looking forward to whatever the future would bring to her and her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another story concluded! Still need some more idea for some prompts to keep the series going so any from you guys are appreciated


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